Ira A. Fulton School
of Engineering

Herberger College
of the Arts

Contact Us

Fall 2008

AME 598 Sensor Fusion Experiential media systems require robust sensing infrastructures that operate efficiently in real time and integrate multiple modalities of human activity including movement, sound, and touch. How are these modalities represented computationally? What are the limitations of individual sensing systems, and how can they be integrated to provide a more comprehensive understanding of human activity? How are asynchronous streams fused in an efficient and useful fashion? How is this data stored and retrieved? How can we best evaluate system performance? This course examines these topics through the design, implementation and evaluation of multimodal sensing systems. This work is motivated by the study of challenges posed by human activity analysis in real world contexts, and is framed by a theoretical foundation drawn from engineering, media, and performance. Course work is principally project based with readings assigned to address these topics.

Professors:
Gang Qian
David Birchfield

Schedule:
MW, 9:00-10:15 Matthews Center Room 236

AME 598 Cognition and Perception for Hybrid Environments will explore classic topics in cognitive psychology including vision, motor planning, memory, attention, and language, with an emphasis on how they relate to hybrid human-computer environments. Here hybrid environments may include standard human-computer interfaces, interfaces developed for the purposes of psychological research, tutorial systems, full immersive virtual reality, robots / humanoid androids, and/or other environments that are of particular interest to members of the class. The format will be half- lecture, half-seminar. Lectures will provide a broad overview of the topics, while reading and seminar-style discussions will provide depth in particular sub-topics. Students will be expected to write a paper that either 1) proposes a scientific study that uses a hybrid environment to investigate a general question about human cognition/perception, or 2) describes a hybrid environment that one might construct to explore the relationship between scientific theories of cognition/perception and participant experience. Students will also be expected to present their projects to the rest of the class.

Professors:
Ellen Campana
Todd Ingalls

Schedule:
TTh, 9:00 - 10:15 Matthews Center Room 236

AME 598 Computational Principles for Media Arts introduces students to principles of computation that provide the basis for many of the existing, widely used media arts tools and techniques. Understanding these principles can help facilitate a new level of complexity to the creative process. Concepts generalizable to audio, video and other digital media are covered including basic signal processing theory as well as algorithmic principles used in media creation. This course will use hands-on examples, project based learning and both contemporary and historical practices to illustrate these concepts.

Professors:
Todd Ingalls
Harvey Thornburg

Schedule:
TTh, 10:30 - 11:45 Matthews Center Room 236

AME 598 Multimodal Environments explores the integration of sonic and visual modes in physically situated, interactive media systems. We explore questions including: How can we best couple multiple streams for a holistic experience? How do these constructed environments relate to our everyday experiences? What new challenges arise from multi- modal integration and interactivity? How do we evaluate and understand such hybrid physical/digital spaces? What are the social, cultural, and economic implications of developing multimodal environments? Course materials draw from current and historical examples of environments that are rooted in arts, education, media, and design. Selected readings provide a context for the relevant theoretical and perceptual issues. Class assignments are project-based and emphasize exploration through the design and realization of new multimodal environments.

Professors:
David Birchfield
Aisling Kelliher

Schedule:
MW, 10:30 - 11:45 Matthews Center Room 236

Registration for all AME courses is by instructor permission only. Graduate students and upper class undergraduates are encouraged to contact the professors for further information and permission to register.