Vision @ UCL

Dr Stuart Robson

For further information please see Stuart Robson's webpage

Flora,H.S., Woodhouse,N., Robson,S., Adiseshiah,M, 2006, Micromovements at the aortic aneurysm neck measured during open surgery with close-range photogrammetry: Implications for aortic endografts. Journal of Endovascular Therapy, 8 (5), 511-520. ISSN: 1526-6028

Holderied,M.W., Korine,C., Brock Fenton,M., Parsons,S., Robson,S., 2005, Echolocation Call Intensity in the Aerial Hawking Bat Eptesicus Bottae (Vespertiliondae) Studied Using Stereo Videogrammetry. Journal of Experimental Biology (208), 1321-1327. ISSN: 0022-0949

Luhmann,T., Robson,S., Kyle,S.,A., Harley,I.,A, 2006, Close Range Photogrammetry: Principles, Techniques and Applications, Whittles. ISBN: 1-870325-50-8

Robson,S., Gyory,G., 2006. Optag A combined panoramic photogrammetric and radio frequency tagging system for monitoring passenger movements in airports. International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Commission V, Dresden 25.-27. September (2006)

James,M.,R., Robson,S., Pinkerton,H., Ball,M, 2006, Oblique photogrammetry with visible and thermal images of active lava flows. Bulletin of Volcanology 69, 105-108

Dr Robson is the academic lead for close range laser scanning having recently acquired close range scanning equipment from Arius3D, Metris and Leica that is unprecedented in the UK. Most notably the Arius3D colour laser scanning system was the first of its type in Europe and is forming a focus for combined research with UCL Museums and Collections, Computing Science and the Institute of Archaeology. This work has been successful with AHRC, EPSRC and JISC funding through the E-Curator project which seeks to understand the capabilities of traceable colour laser scan data of museum artefacts for the museum community. Fundamental to this work are PhD students investigating photogrammetric telecentric imaging and colour traceability between differing imaging systems. Other examples of this work include Monitoring of the Westminster Retable for the Hamilton Kerr Institute and the measurement of a series of transparent sculptures by Hume Gabo for the Tate Gallery Sculpture Conservation Unit which was carried out with Plowman Craven Ltd.

E –Curator: 3D colour scans for remote object identification and assessment: This project draws on UCL's expertise both in curatorship and in e-Science. It takes advantage of the presence at UCL of world class collections across a range of disciplines and of a state of the art colour scanner, the quality of which is unequalled in the UK. The project aims to apply e-science technologies to museum work and artefact analysis, exploring the potential to capture and share in a secure and repeatable manner very large, detailed datasets about museum artefacts, thereby enhancing international scholarship and facilitating the safe movement of artefacts. The ability to share validated 3D colour data could facilitate object-tracking and condition checking, enabling curators and conservators to compare records collected at different institutions and stored remotely, or collected over a period of time under different conditions, in order to assess and monitor change. The project is jointly funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).

Close-Range Metrology research seeks to address the growing requirement for research and development in high precision, close range metrology for the measurement of engineered and natural objects, ranging in size from 1m3 to 100,000m3 (i.e. from table tops to entire buildings). Recent research work has been focussed in the area of terrestrial laser scanning, close range photogrammetry, 3D visualisation and engineering metrology.

Measurement techniques developed and refined by the group focus upon on multi-station convergent photogrammetry and laser scanning (e.g. HAZMAP videogrammetry system and the Vision Metrology System -VMS). Achievements in this field include the construction of massive image archives in support of Facilities Management of offshore oil platforms and the non-contact measurement of deformation during the testing of civil, mechanical and aeronautical engineering structures ranging in size from laboratory test components to multi-storey buildings. On-going projects include work with UKAEA at JET to remotely measure the surfaces of beryllium tiles within a fusion device using a combination of scanning and photogrammetric technologies; with NASA (Langley) to measure the shape of deployed parachutes in flight utilising synchronised cameras on the ground and on parachute payloads and; with AirbusUK to enhance the traceability of measurement data from combined photogrammetric and laser tracker surveys of large wing structures.

High precision measurement of natural objects include the use of metrology in biological and medical applications and in the subsequent characterisation of bio-mass and other derived metrics. Recent achievements in this area range from measurements to support the design of surgical implants (with UCL Department of Surgery); the measurement of premature infant head shape in support of better optical tomographic imaging and the development of a real time topographic optode monitoring system (both with UCL Medical Physics) and the determination of the size and shape of fish in their natural habitat from multi-photo image sequences (RMIT and Perth Universities and fisheries research groups). The group are also active with Lancaster University in the measurement and characterisation of volcanic lava flows through the application of terrestrial photogrammetric techniques with low cost digital sensors and thermal imaging cameras.

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