Technology Trends

Computer scientists from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) are developing and using online games to train computers to better see according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. One of these games is Peekaboom, used online for free by teams of two players. The first one, designated as “Peek,” sees on his screen an image — initially empty — and a word that describes the image or one element of the image. The second one, named “Boom,” gradually reveals the image or gives hints to “Peek” until he correctly guesses the word associated to the image. And this use of “segmented” images might improve “computer vision” by “teaching” them how to identify objects. But read more before playing…

Below is a simplified trial run of Peekaboom, where “Boom” is the Revealer and “Peek” the guesser (Credit: Peekaboom.org).

You’ll find a larger version of this image — along with other details — on page 15 of this presentation named “Peekaboom: A Game for Locating Objects in Images” (Powerpoint format, 23 pages, 809 KB).

The images and words used in Peekaboom, created by Luis von Ahn, have been taken from a previous CMU online game, the ESP Game, in which participants generate descriptive labels for images.

Now, let’s read some short excerpts from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, starting with the game itself.

In the game, which graduate student Roy Liu has been programming since September, one player is given an image and a word that describes the image or one element of the image. The object of the game is for the first player, designated as Boom, to get the other player, designated as Peek, to correctly guess the word.

Peek initially sees only a blank screen, but as play proceeds Boom reveals the image, little by little, by moving his cursor over the image.

When the word is correctly guessed, or when the players agree to pass on an image, the players switch roles and play resumes. The players receive scores based on the number of correct guesses they can make in four minutes.

But how can this game improve computer vision?

In the early days of machine vision research, it was assumed that computers could learn to identify an object, such as a car, or a spoon, or a face, if it was given the rough geometry of the object, said Alexei Efros, a computer vision researcher at Carnegie Mellon. But that wasn’t a successful approach.

A better approach to teaching a computer how to identify an object, such as a car, is to show it lots of images of cars, of various makes and colors, taken from a variety of angles and distances and under a variety of lighting conditions, he said.

For more information, you can check how Peekaboom works by reading this introduction (PDF format, 1 page, 461 KB).

But for fun, just play with Peekaboom!!!

Sources: Byron Spice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 1, 2005; and various web sites

Related stories can be found in the following categories.

• AI
  
  
• Computers
  
  
• Games
  
  
• Software
  
  
• Vision and Visualization Apps
  

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According to some studies, one of every six Army soldiers returning from the war zone in Iraq experiences major depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Military scientists have launched several efforts to help them, including therapy based on a virtual reality program. The Washington Post, in “Recalling Iraq’s Terrors Through Virtual Reality” (free registration), and the San Diego Union-Tribune, in “Military to try virtual combat stress remedy,” are both reporting on the progress of this initiative. Read more…

Here are some selected excerpts from the Washington Post article.

As the fighting in Iraq enters its third year, the U.S. military is grappling with what threatens to become a mental-health crisis in the armed forces. A New England Journal of Medicine study published this year estimated that one of every six Army soldiers returning from the war zone experiences major depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

The virtual-reality experiment is among the most innovative efforts the government is launching. Among others: military-sponsored support groups for returning fighters, a mock house at a rehabilitation center to teach wounded troops to care for themselves before going home, combat-stress units to counsel personnel on the ground, and psychological questionnaires to earlier identify problems among returning troops.

But let’s go back to the virtual reality program, which will cost about $4 million over three years.

“The events keep coming back. They have nightmares, flashbacks. They can’t get away, and they want to get away,” said James L. Spira, a staff psychologist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego who is a lead investigator in the virtual-reality study. Some turn to alcohol or drugs to block out the experiences, he said.

Within a few months, the virtual-reality treatments will begin to be offered to troops at three locations: the Naval Medical Center and Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital in California — which together hope to enroll roughly 180 patients — and Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, which hopes to enroll about 75.

The system used in California, which is based on the video game Full Spectrum Warrior, puts the patient in the middle of a city. Therapists will gradually expose the patient to more radical scenarios. In the first session, the scene might be an empty street. In the second, other troops or civilians might be added. Near the end of the treatment — which could last weeks or months, depending on the person — the patient may be put through a full-scale attack. Researchers say they also plan to introduce smells and to superheat the treatment room to the 100-degree-plus temperatures the patients experienced in Iraq.

“A virtual reality program transported Navy Cmdr. Paul Hammer back to the streets of Iraq. A study will test the technology as a treatment for post traumatic stress disorder.” (Credits: Earnie Grafton for the picture, Rick Rogers for the legend, The San Diego Union-Tribune).

Of course, this program has its detractors.

The researchers worry that the technology may turn out to be just a distraction, a gimmicky, new-age twist on traditional therapies that may not work as well — or, worse, that it could end up aggravating some patients’ conditions by re-exposing them to their traumas too quickly if it is not used by a skilled therapist.

To avoid that, the therapists will make use of biofeedback sensors, measuring heartbeat, breathing, temperature and moisture on the skin. These statistics will help doctors determine the patients’ reaction to certain stimuli — such as the sounds of Arabic-accented voices yelling at them, helicopters landing and mortar shells striking — and whether they are nearing the edge of what they can tolerate.

“We are not developing a self-help tool. This is something that needs to be used hand in hand with the help of a good clinician,” said Albert Rizzo III, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California who is collaborating with Spira.

Anyway, it’s not the first time that virtual reality has been used for years to cure phobia. For example, read “Virtual Reality Therapy Cures Spider Phobia” or “A (Virtual) Therapist’s Dream.”

Sources: Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post, March 23, 2005; Rick Rogers, The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 17, 2005

Related stories can be found in the following categories.

• Games
  
  
• Medicine
  
  
• Military Applications
  
  
• Psychology
  
  
• Virtual Reality
  
  
• Vision and Visualization