Publicado em: 12/03/2012

Defesa de Proposta de Tese em Computação Gráfica

UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL
INSTITUTO DE INFORMÁTICA
PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM COMPUTAÇÃO
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DEFESA DE PROPOSTA DE TESE

Aluno: Vitor Fernando Pamplona
Orientador: Prof. Dr. Manuel Menezes de Oliveira Neto

Título: Interactive Measurements and Tailored Displays for Optical Aberrations of the Human Eye

Linha de Pesquisa: Computação Gráfica

Data: 16/03/2012
Horário: 10h
Local: Sala 102 Prédio 43424 (CEI)

Banca Examinadora:
Prof. Dr. Anderson Maciel (UFRGS)
Prof. Dr. Luis Alberto Vieira de Carvalho (USP)
Prof. Dr. Marcelo Walter (UFRGS)

Presidente da Banca: Prof. Dr. Manuel Menezes de Oliveira Neto

Abstract: This dissertation proposes light-field pre-warping methods for measuring and neutralizing optical aberrations in imaging systems. Innovative interactive methods estimate refractive conditions (NETRA) and model lens opacities (CATRA) of interaction-aware eyes and cameras using cost-efficient hardware apps for high-resolution displays. The overall goal is to allow a general audience to operate a portable light-field display to gain a meaningful understanding of their own visual conditions. A light-field display, positioned very close to the eye, creates virtual objects in pre-defined depths through different sectors of the eye’s aperture. This platform creates a new range of interactivity that is extremely sensitive to spatially-distributed optical aberrations. The ability to focus on virtual objects, interactively align displayed patterns and detect variations in shape and brightness allows the estimation of the eye’s point spread function and its lens’ accommodation range. While conventional systems require specialized training, costly devices, strict security procedures and are usually not mobile, this thesis greatly simplify the mechanism by putting the human subject in the loop. Captured data is transformed into refractive conditions in terms of spherical and cylindrical powers, axis of astigmatism, focal range and brand-new aperture maps for opacity, attenuation, contrast and sub-aperture point-spread functions. With the information about the viewer’s eye, a new display technology is able to neutralize refractive errors and avoid light-scattering paths. The first-of-its-kind tailored display enhances visual acuity by creating several image planes conjugated with the retina. This new display frees the viewer from needing wearable optical corrections when looking at it, expanding the notion of glasses-free multi-focus displays to add individual optical variabilities. This thesis include proof-of-concept designs for computational diagnostics and tailored displays. User evaluations and validations with modified camera optics are performed. Compiled data is used to reconstruct an individual’s aberrated view, offering a novel approach for capturing information for screening, diagnostic, and clinical analysis. Tailored displays may lead to new tailorable user experiences. It has the potential to impact daily tasks where using eyeglasses are unfeasible or inconvenient (e.g. on head-mounted displays, e-readers, as well as for games); when a multi-focus function is required but undoable (e.g. driving for farsighted individuals, checking a portable device while doing physical activities); or for correcting the visual distortions produced by high-order aberrations (e.g. coma and keratoconus) that eyeglasses are not able to.

Keywords: Computational diagnostic tools, tailored displays, hardware apps, mobile mates, light-field displays, computer-human interaction, visual optics, refractive errors, cataracts, visual accommodation.