HD Webcam Research Articles

A 3D-Printed, High-Fidelity Pelvis Training Model: Cookbook Instructions and First Experience

Background: Since laparoscopic surgery became the gold standard for colorectal procedures, specific skills are required to achieve good outcomes. The best way to acquire basic and advanced skills and reach the learning curve plateau is by using dedicated simulators: box-trainers, video-trainers and virtual reality simulators. Laparoscopic skills training outside the operating room is cost-beneficial, faster and safer, and does not harm the patient. When compared to box-trainers, virtual reality simulators and cadaver models have no additional benefits. Several laparoscopic trainers available on the market as well as homemade box and video-trainers, most of them using plastic boxes and standard webcams, were described in the literature. The majority of them involve training on a flat surface without any anatomical environment. In addition to their demonstrated benefits, box-trainers which add anatomic details can improve the training quality and skills development of surgeons. Methods: We created a 3D-printed anatomic pelvi-trainer which offers a real-size narrow pelvic space environment for training. The model was created starting with a CT-scan performed on a female pelvis from the Anatomy Museum (Cluj-Napoca University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania), using Invesalius 3 software (Centro de Tecnologia da informação Renato Archer CTI, InVesalius open-source software, Campinas, Brazil) for segmentation, Fusion 360 with Netfabb software (Autodesk software company, Fusion 360 with Netfabb, San Francisco, CA, USA) for 3D modeling and a FDM technology 3D printer (Stratasys 3D printing company, Fortus 380mc 3D printer, Minneapolis, MN, USA). In addition, a metal mold for casting silicone valves was made for camera and endoscopic instruments ports. The trainer was tested and compared using a laparoscopic camera, a standard full HD webcam and “V-Box” (INTECH—Innovative Training Technologies, Milano, Italia), a dedicated hard paper box. The pelvi-trainer was tested by 33 surgeons with different qualifications and expertise. Results: We made a complete box-trainer with a versatile 3D-printed pelvi-trainer inside, designed for a wide range of basic and advanced laparoscopic skills training in the narrow pelvic space. We assessed the feedback of 33 surgeons regarding their experience using the anatomic 3D-printed pelvi-trainer for laparoscopic surgery training in the narrow pelvic space. Each surgeon tested the pelvi-trainer in three different setups: using a laparoscopic camera, using a webcam connected to a laptop and a “V-BOX” hard paper box. In the experiments that were performed, each participant completed a questionnaire regarding his/her experience using the pelvi-trainer. The results were positive, validating the device as a valid tool for training. Conclusions: We validated the anatomic pelvi-trainer designed by our team as a valuable alternative for basic and advanced laparoscopic surgery training outside the operating room for pelvic organs procedures, proving that it supports a much faster learning curve for colorectal procedures without harming the patients.

Driver Drowsiness Detection using Machine Learning Approach

Driver fatigue is a major cause of traffic accidents. The number of deaths and injuries increases every year around the world. Traffic accidents can be reduced by detecting driver fatigue. This article describes machine learning for sleep detection. Face detection is used to detect the driver's eye area and use this as a reference for eye tracking in subsequent frames. Finally, visual images are used to detect sleep and a warning system is created. This method is divided into three stages: face detection, eye detection, and fatigue detection. Image processing is used to recognize the driver's face and then extract the image of the driver's eyes to detect fatigue. HAAR face detection algorithm outputs the image and then adjusts face detection based on the output. CHT is then used to track the eyes of the visible face. Check the eyes using EAR (Early Evaluation). The proposed system was tested using the proposed system on a Raspberry pi 3 Model B with 1 GB RAM using Logitech HD Webcam C270. According to some video tests, average eye contact and tracking accuracy can reach 95.0%. Therefore, it is a cheaper and better solution for a tired driver to ask to find the road immediately.

Automated Water Test Strip Reader

Thanks to modern chemistry, we are able to locate heaps of chemical compounds in water, even at extraordinarily low concentrations. Majority of techniques for compound analysis require state-of-the artwork lab facilities. Fortunately, we don’t have to check for everything! A smaller and extra sensible set of checks can offer excellent means of monitoring. Commonly test strips are dipped in water sample and compared by naked eyes to derive conclusions which can be harmful for the person dealing with contagious samples or may cause inaccuracy in results due to human error. An automated system to carry out these processes and eliminate the threat and inaccuracies is put in to works using deep learning. In our current work we have used Raspberry Pi integrated with a HD webcam to capture the strip images, extract RGB values and deduce the results. We address the application of Deep Learning to Raspberry Pi based calorimetric detection of water quality. The test strips are available from a general medical store and hence the database was created using the values provided beforehand . Once the database was created, it was trained using Neural Networks whose accuracy was turned out to be 95.11 %.

Mobile mecavision: automatic plant monitoring system as a precision agriculture solution in plant factories

Precision agriculture (PA) is an approach in farming systems based on information and technology to enhance agricultural production. PA is applied in plant factories to produce high-quality vegetables in a controlled environment by implementing an automatic crop growth monitoring system. Optimization of the observation process carried out with computer system techniques used in the monitoring process and assessment of the plant condition. Individual observation of cultivated plants requires a monitoring system and numerous equipment. Therefore, a monitoring system equipped with a mobile mechanism is needed to support the monitoring process of crops individually by a single observer. The objective of this study was to design and implement an automatic plant monitoring system based on mobile mechanisms and computer vision using simple equipment in plant factories. The Mobile Mecavision, a monitoring system consists of a mobility system and an image acquisition system controlled by Raspberry Pi. The components are A4988, NEMA 17, and Logitech C270 HD Webcam. The evaluation for system performance carried out using the extreme point shift system and t-test. The aspect of image functionality evaluated using the Structural Similarity Measure test and the result was obtained an image similarity value of 89% to 92% with a 90% level of confidence. The result of the performance test on the mobility aspect obtained that the system shifted numerically but not statistically. The overall performance of the system indicated that the monitoring system could be applied to monitor the crop growth in plant factories.

Nep-Endotrainer: A cost-effective home-made laparoscopic simulation tool

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgery is an established treatment modality worldwide. Opportunities to acquire this skill using expensive simulation at workplace are not always feasible due to cost, time and accessibility constraints. Nep-Endotrainer is a cost effective homemade laparoscopic simulation tool built in Nepal.
 Methods: Nep-Endotrainer was built using plastic manikins easily available in market. Nine apertures were created with a drilling machine, four on each side of umbilicus and one at the epigastric region. These apertures were covered by thick piece of rubber of vehicle tire with apertures in them. Logitech® C270 HD webcam was fixed interiorly with metal screws. The base of the manikin was fixed to a wooden board with hinge joint. Five different interchangeable training modules were assembled in 10×10 cm2 size wooden boards. The LED light was fixed interiorly near the web camera. The camera USB can be easily connected with laptops, tablets and mobile phones. We used discarded hand instruments from laparoscopic centers to reduce the cost of the endotrainer.
 Conclusion: Nep-Endotrainer is accessible to any personal budget and can be readily constructed. It allows more frequent practice at home, outside the venue and hours of surgical departments.

Purpose of Crested Francolin Ortygornis sephaena male collective calls at dusk based on livestream audio censusing

The study of diel and seasonal variation in vocal interactions of Crested Francolin Ortygornis sephaena territorial males helps clarify its purpose, thus delivering insights into the behavioural ecology of this species. The goals of the present paper are to describe the vocal footprint of neighbouring Crested Francolin territorial males and understand the purpose of collective calls. We logged remotely into a HD webcam with microphone located in Tembe Elephant National Park (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) to listen to male vocal exchanges from August 2018 to November 2019. Territorial call exchanges among three neighbouring males at dusk took place at the onset of, but not during, the breeding season and then again during the non-breeding season. In the latter case vocalisations were emitted even beyond dusk time. Call duration and intensity (calls per minute) did not increase at the onset of the breeding season. Males exchanged calls in a leader-follower manner seemingly unrelated to female attraction and guarding. On the contrary, this cordial collective calling is likely a form of cooperation to detect vocal responses by interlopers.

A Development of Textile Fabric Homogeneity Based on Computational Physics (Image Processing) with MATLAB

The textile industry is currently moving towards to the fourth Industrial Technological Revolution. One of the applications of the industrial revolution 4.0 is in the field of computational physics. The application of applied physics especially computational physics on textile science can be initiated in analyzing the quality of fabric in the textile coloring process. This research focuses on a technique measuring the quality of fabric that occurred in the coloring process using the image processing technique by measuring the color space in the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) space as the length of colors vector of the fabric. In this study, the technique has been made using MATLAB 2009a software and Logitech C525 HD webcam. The result of this research shows that computational physics especially image processing by MATLAB can be implemented to measure and to determine the color quality of fabric accurately by comparing with the samples.

Dynamic Gesture Recognition System to Control Media

Gesture control technology is developing quickly and changing many aspects of daily life. Gesture control devices evolved from expensive primitive input devices to affordable devices capable of fine detail recognition. These devices are now used in a much wider range, from research experiments and prototypes to day-to-day commercial products. In this paper, a hand swiping algorithm to control media on personal computers is presented. The algorithm aims to be accurate, without the burden of high computational complexity. The paper begins with an introduction to gesture control and surveys existing work in the field. The main algorithm which tracks the users hand to control the volume is explained in detail in the methodology section. A Raspberry Pi board along with a Logitech HD webcam will be used to test the algorithm. The results are discussed in the experiment section, followed by the constraints and conclusion.

Object Tracking System on Ultrawide Video from Double Camera using Motion Detector

This research aims to design, test, and analyze the object tracking application system using a motion detector method that is able to take the output image of several cameras by combining the output images of the two cameras into a wider field of view (FOV). This research uses 2 cameras, i3-6006U laptop camera and Logitech C270 HD webcam using OpenCV and python programming language. The stitching results from the initialization of the two cameras are able to detect the motion of objects performed on panoramatic videos in realtime by showing time in detail starting from days, dates, hours, minutes and seconds. This object tracking application system has been tested in Adi Sucipto airport exactly in the area of arrival and departure of passengers. The system can detected the motion in the stitching images by exploring it in red rectanguler in the real time video.

Mobile mapping systems and spatial data collection strategies assessment in the identification of horizontal alignment of highways

The horizontal alignment of existing highways may be identified by using several terrestrial or aerial geomatics technologies. Such technologies involve different levels of precision and accuracy; hence, different results can be expected. At present, there are no comparisons available between the solutions resulting from the use of different technologies and data sources for the same road alignment.In this investigation, a number of terrestrial mobile mapping techniques and data collection strategies were evaluated. The centerline of a 3.6km section of a highway was used to estimate radii, centers of curvature and orientation of tangents. Two statistical fitting methods were used to back-calculate these parameters, and the results were then compared with as-built alignment data.Terrestrial images from a mobile mapping vehicle were used to determine the centerline, which was also estimated as the average line of the carriageway and pavement edges, and as the average line of the two driving trajectories. Positions were surveyed using low-cost sensors (an integrated GPS-IMU platform, HD webcam). For comparison purposes, aerial orthophotos and a GNSS (high-cost) receiver were used simultaneously. Although the GPS-IMU data and estimated trajectories provided results comparable to those of the GNSS receiver, the use of georeferenced images proved less accurate. The results and comments in the paper should be of use to survey practitioners when they need to select an acquisition methodology appropriate to the desired level of accuracy and in line with budget constraints.

Towards medical education neuroscience: pilot results of integrative affective analytics from clinical skills workshops

Towards medical education neuroscience: pilot results of integrative affective analytics from clinical skills workshops

A laparoscopic simulator - maybe it is worth making it yourself.

IntroductionLaparoscopic trainers have gained recognition for improving laparoscopic surgery skills and preparing for operations on humans. Unfortunately, due to their high price, commercial simulators are hard to obtain, especially for young surgeons in small medical centers. The solution might be for them to construct a device by themselves.AimTo make a relatively cheap and easy to construct laparoscopic trainer for residents who wish to develop their skills at home.Material and methodsTwo laparoscopic simulators were designed and constructed: 1) a box model with an optical system based on two parallel mirrors, 2) a box model with an HD webcam, a light source consisting of LED diodes placed on a camera casing, and a modeling servo between the webcam and aluminum pipe to allow electronic adjustment of the optical axis.ResultsThe two self-constructed simulators were found to be effective training devices, the total cost of parts for each not exceeding $100. Advice is also given for future constructors.ConclusionsHome made trainers are accessible to any personal budget and can be constructed with a minimum of practical skill. They allow more frequent practice at home, outside the venue and hours of surgical departments. What is more, home made trainers have been shown to be comparable to commercial trainers in facilitating the acquisition of basic laparoscopic skills.

An interactive image clipping system using hand motion recognition

We present an efficient hand recognition algorithm for an interactive image clipping system, which is widely used for environments such as public facilities and security environments where personal capturing devices including mobile phones are not allowed. User-friendly interface and accurate image capturing function are required for an image clipping system. We build the system by combining Microsoft Kinect, HD webcam and projector. The Kinect and webcam are used to capture the motions of users׳ hand and project is to display the user-selected area from the capturing material. Hand recognition is composed of three steps: (i) the region occupied by users׳ hand is extracted from an image, (ii) the fingertips of the extracted hand region are analyzed using k-curvature algorithm, and (iii) the height of the fingertip is estimated using the depth image from Kinect. The height of the fingertip informs whether users׳ finger touched the surface of the target. The region captured by the fingertip is clipped from the image and stored as the target image. The excellence of our hand recognition algorithm is proved through a user test.

모바일 양방향 화상 교육시스템 개발에 관한 연구

최근, 초고속 인터넷망의 발전으로 실시간으로 화상회의 시스템 구축이 가능하게 되었다. 아직도 SD 급의 소프트웨어 코덱을 사용한 화상시스템이 존재하며 모바일 시스템을 이용한 양 방향 시스템이 있지만 대부분 화상시스템으로 영상만 주고받는 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 HD 웹-캠을 사용하여 양 방향 실시간 방송교육 시스템을 구축하고 모바일 시스템에서도 동시에 청취 가능한 시스템을 개발했다. 이를 위해 H.264 표준 영상 압축 기술을 이용한 고대역 압축 기술을 적용하였고, 스마트폰 방송을 위한 스트리밍 서버를 개발하여 적용했다. 영상공유, 문서, 웹-공유가 실시간으로 가능하게 되었다. 또한, WiFi 존에서 사용되는 사설 IP를 언제 어디서나 사용 가능하게 공인 IP로 변환 가능한 기술인 IP 터널링 기술을 적용했다. Recently, Development of high-speed internet networks can be a real-time video conference system. SD-quality still images using the software codec system exists, and two-way system with mobile systems, but in most video only send and receive video system. In this study, HD web-cam using the two-way live broadcasts simultaneously in the education system and the mobile system has developed an audible system. In the study using the H.264 standard video compression techniques were applied to high-bandwidth compression technology, smart phones, to develop a streaming server for broadcasting were applied. Video sharing, document, web-sharing was made possible in real time. In addition, the private IP for WiFi zone, available anytime, anywhere that can be converted to a public IP technology, IP tunneling technology applied.