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Number 63 on the list of 100 Acts from Oulu is the University of Oulus research into machine vision

Julkaistu 17.06.2014

The University of Oulu’s machine vision research has been chosen as number 63 on the 100 Acts from Oulu list. The selection panel states that the University of Oulu’s research into machine vision is internationally renowned, and that the results of the research have attracted experts in the field from all over the world to Oulu. This way, the research has also made Oulu a more international city.

Machine vision is all about simulating the human sense of vision with the aid of computers. Everyday applications based on machine vision include the Kinect video game sensor, smile detection used in cameras, and bottle return machines. More specifically, machine vision refers to camera-based automatic image analysis.
Machine vision can be used to analyze image data provided by a camera, be it still images or video, in order to identify and recognize objects and matter, textures, or people and their movements depicted in the footage.

Machine vision research represents the cutting edge of research at the University of Oulu. It was given the highest possible rank in the university’s recent Research Assessment Exercise. The researchers at the Center for Machine Vision Research publish their findings at the best forums in the field and regularly travel around the world to talk about their research. These researchers are, in part, acting as the ambassadors of Oulu. The Center for Machine Vision Research receives a steady stream of queries regarding new cooperation opportunities and its job postings always attract a large number of applications.

A few years ago, machine vision researchers from Oulu were the first in the world to demonstrate a system that automatically recognizes involuntary micro-expressions from video footage, a feat which is extremely difficult for humans. Micro-expressions reflect true emotions, those that people sometimes try to hide.

Over the last five years, the University of Oulu’s Center for Machine Vision Research has employed over 30 researchers from abroad, a significant number of them from China. Many of these researchers have settled in Oulu, some of them also bringing their families along. In Oulu, these expatriates have found not only employment, but also clean nature and a well-functioning society.

In addition to basic research, the machine vision methods developed in Oulu have already been utilized in commercial applications, such as mobile devices and online verification.

For more information, please contact:
Director of the University of Oulu Center for Machine Vision Research, Professor Matti Pietikäinen, tel. +358 (0)294 482782, www.cse.oulu.fi/CMV