Human Motion Tracking with Less Constraint of Initial Posture from a Single RGB-D Sensor

High-quality and complete human motion 4D reconstruction is of great significance for immersive VR and even human operation. However, it has inevitable self-scanning constraints, and tracking under monocular settings also has strict restrictions. In this paper, we propose a human motion capture system combined with human priors and performance capture that only uses a single RGB-D sensor. To break the self-scanning constraint, we generated a complete mesh only using the front view input to initialize the geometric capture. In order to construct a correct warping field, most previous methods initialize their systems in a strict way. To maintain high fidelity while increasing the easiness of the system, we updated the model while capturing motion. Additionally, we blended in human priors in order to improve the reliability of model warping. Extensive experiments demonstrated that our method can be used more comfortably while maintaining credible geometric warping and remaining free of self-scanning constraints.

Analysis of a Business Intelligence process based on Lean Office principles

Purpose – Business Intelligence (BI) is the company's ability, through the use of technologies and methods, to transform data from external and internal environments into information to improve performance. Capture, management and transformation can be understood as processes and these can present problems and need for improvement. This article presents a case of applying Lean Office in a BI process in a service large company. The goal is to identify BI process-related waste and propose improvements through Lean Office tools and principles. Methodology – The research was developed through a case study. Three data collection instruments were used: participant observation, document analysis and documented interviews. The analyzes were conducted based on the data collected and tools identified in the literature were applied that helped in conducting the analysis of the information transformation process. Findings - The article presented two main results, the detailed presentation of BI activities that are little explored in the literature, especially in developing countries, and the contribution of Lean Office's philosophy and tools for improving the management of a BI process. Originality/value – It contributes to a better understanding and creation of a common vision about the BI process between researchers and practitioners, and with a case that exemplifies the potential of the Lean Office to identify waste, analyze causes and improve the performance of this process. Keywords - Business intelligence. Business analytics. Process improvement. Lean Office.

The ludic lives of memoryscapes: Skateboarding post-Soviet peripheries

Post-Soviet cities vary dramatically yet share common elements desired by skateboarders and filmers as ‘spots’; assemblages of objects, obstacles and surfaces offering the chance to perform difficult skateboard tricks in public space. Memoryscapes are desired as spots for their scale, smooth surfaces, in-built obstacles and aesthetic appeal on video. As more skateboarders travel to post-Soviet cities in Central Asia and the Caucuses, their reinterpretation of memoryscapes reveal the ludic lives of memoryscapes, the interplay between memory and place, and the tension between hegemonic memory practices of state and state-like agents and the seemingly apolitical reinterpretation by skaters. This article explores two contrasting post-Soviet memoryscapes as seen on skate video, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Sukhumi (Abkhazia) to make three arguments. First, while battles are fought over public memory online and offline, skaters approach the landscape as ludic space; as playgrounds for unsanctioned performance, capture and circulation. Second, these memoryscapes are enrolled in global circulations of skate culture, giving memoryscapes an adjacent existence online detached from their intended meanings and counter-meanings. Third, in some cases the friction between ludic approaches and the power of memory unravels the singular focus on spots, even for skaters with limited knowledge of the context.

Displacement of self-continuity: An heuristic inquiry into identity transition in a 3D motion-capture-based animated narrative short film

This practice-led artistic research considers how a fictional allegory might be employed to examine issues of acculturation, displacement and identity transition. Using the story of a refugee family, the study explores through artistic practice the implications of identity reconstruction inside the body of a new culture. The animated short film Stella is designed to serve as a provocative vehicle for considering the social implications of identity loss and transition. Methodologically, the project is shaped by an heuristic inquiry. Inside this journey, the researcher generates a narrative that draws upon experience and theory. The artist creates an experimental animation in which the self of the artist is investigated through iterations of creative explorations. These experimental explorations not only span the conceptual and storytelling side of the creative process but also touch upon technological achievements. In this process a relationship results that elevates both the self (the writer/director/animator) and the body of knowledge, through the process of making and reflection. Beyond its contribution to understanding processes and implications of acculturation, displacement and identity transition, the project’s technological significance lies in its propensity to extend the application and demonstrate the potential of performance capture (using motion capture technology), 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry.