Engineering Professor Graham Taylor aims to help computers make sense of what they are seeing
On March 1, 2016, University of Guelph engineering professor Graham Taylor announced that he would share his $550,000 NSERC grant with the university, to create a three-year international research project. Taylor intends to help make machine vision technology more adept to the human experience with his project.
NSERC gives grants to researchers in the fields of engineering and natural science. Taylor’s research lies in statistical machine learning—specifically, unsupervised learning. Working with research partners at INSA-Lyon, Pierre and Marie Curie University, and Simon Fraser University, Taylor hopes to develop computers to help them “see” better.
With multiple applications in mind, Taylor’s research could help computers monitor hospital wards or detect human interactions. The research will help computers make sense and draw inferences using massive amounts of data, such as images and YouTube videos.
Computers will be able to sift through massive amounts of camera footage, and allow companies to use interactive kiosk displays that can detect a user’s gestures. The computer will analyze images in a similar way to how humans learn and observe their surroundings. Current computer vision system applications also include interactive video games that can track movements such as running, jumping, eating or waving.
The research project will open up doors to technology advancement in sectors such as food, agriculture, and environment. Researchers at the University of Guelph primarily focus on research in those sectors. The project could aid with research that professors are conducting at the university, like monitoring farm field conditions.