| Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of sensors in the non-visible bands. As a result, there is a need for existing computer vision methods and algorithms to be adapted for use with non-visible sensors, or for the development of completely new methods and systems. Computer Vision Beyond the Visible Spectrum is the first book to bring together state-of-the-art work in this area. It presents new & pioneering research across the electromagnetic spectrum in the military, commercial, and medical domains. By providing a detailed examination of each of these areas, it focuses on the development of state-of-the-art algorithms and looks at how they can be used to solve existing & new challenges within computer vision. Essential reading for academics & industrial researchers working in the area of computer vision, image processing, and medical imaging, it will also be useful background reading for advanced undergraduate & postgraduate students.
Traditionally, computer vision has focused on the visible band for a variety of reasons. The visible band sensors are cheap and easily available. They are also sensitive in the same electromagnetic band as the human eye, which makes the produced data more interesting from the psychophysiology point of view. In fact, computer vision was pre-occupied for a long time with the problem of understanding and imitating the human visual system. Recently, this obsession subsided and computer vision research focused more on solving particular application problems with or without the help of the human visual paradigm. A case in point is the significant progress achieved in object tracking.
It so happens that many imaging applications cannot be addressed in the visible band. For example, visible sensors cannot see in the dark; thus, they are not very useful in military applications. Visible radiation cannot penetrate the human body and, therefore, cannot be a viable medical imaging modality. Other electromagnetic bands and sensor modalities have been identified and developed over the years that can solve all these problems, which are beyond the reach of the visible spectrum. Initially, it was primarily phenomenological and sensory work that was taking place. Later came algorithmic work, and with that computer vision beyond the visible spectrum was born. |
