The TEXNH method is an approach to undergraduate computer science education that is based on cognitive constructivisim, in the sense of Piaget, and which invokes several course design directives that include re-combining art and science, problem-based learning, problem selection from the visual problem domain, and cognitive apprenticeship. The paper describes a new TEXNH course in data structures. It includes a full comparative assessment of the realized improvement in student problem solving capability and, for the first time, cognitive authenticity in problem selection, in that the course problem is a variation on a very recent research result.

An artificial neural network (ANN), consisting of three interacting neural modules, is developed for stereo vision. The first module locates sharp intensity changes in each of the images. The edge detection process is basically a bottom-up, one-to-one input-output mapping process with a network structure which is time-invariant. In the second module, a multilayered connectionist network is used to extract the features or primitives For disparity analysis (matching). A similarity measure is defined and computed for each pair of primitive matches and is passed to the third module. The third module solves the difficult correspondence problem by mapping it into a constraint satisfaction problem. Intra- and inter-scanline constraints are used in order to restrict possible feature matches. The inter-scanline constraints are implemented via interconnections of a three-dimensional neural network. The overall process is iterative. At the end of each network iteration, the output of the third constraint satisfaction module feeds back updated information on matching pairs as well as their corresponding location in the left and right images to the input of the second module. This iterative process continues until the output of the third module converges to a stable state. Once the matching process is completed, the disparity can be calculated, and camera calibration parameters can be used to find the three-dimensional location of object points. Results using this computational architecture are shown.>

Basic research into the modeling and analysis of image sequence dynamics is presented. A distributed parameter system (DPS) framework and the concept of weak solutions are used to develop image motion estimation algorithms. These algorithms represent a region-oriented (as opposed to point-by-point) approach to image motion analysis which is theoretically justifiable, computationally advantageous, and leads to interesting extensions. Particularly noteworthy is the use of weak solution-based motion features to obtain static image structural information and multiple object motion estimates. Experimental results confirm the validity and accuracy of the approach. Future research topics are described.

Algorithms are developed for a real-time, automatic system capable of tracking two-dimensional (2-D) targets in complex scenes. A mathematical model of 2-D image spatial and temporal evolution applicable to certain classes of targets and target perturbations is developed. It is shown that for small target perturbations the 2-D tracking problem may be approximated as a 1-D time-varying parameter estimation problem. A CCD-implementable solution is developed which is particularly useful when considering target rotation and dilation and target/background separation. Results of system simulation and suggestions for future research are presented.

The development of algorithms for real-time, automatic systems capable of tracking 2-D targets in complex scenes is discussed. The problems and constraints involved in such an undertaking as well as previous efforts are summarized. in addition, a mathematical model of scene spatial and temporal evolution is developed for certain classes of targets and target perturbations. It is shown that for small target perturbations the 2-D tracking problem may be approximated as a 1-D time-varying parameter estimation problem. Algorithms resulting from several estimation approaches are discussed.