Seminar Computer Science - Dr. Okan Tursun

Title: Modeling Human Visual Perception for Modern Display Systems

Abstract:
The use of tools to extend the abilities of humans has introduced great leaps in the evolution of humanity throughout the history. Recently, we have transitioned into the information age and computers have become one of the most commonly used tools in modern life. They enhance our capabilities for accessing, processing and presenting information. Nowadays, we witness yet another transition, where the computers are increasingly becoming a part of us in our daily tasks, augmenting our capabilities and performance. The transition towards a closer coupling between humans and computers requires new and channels of interaction and a need for good design principles. Among different means of interaction, the sense of sight seems to be one of the primary channels for conveying information from computers to humans thanks to its convenience and immediacy.

Recently, new display devices in the form of auto-stereoscopic, holographic and head-mounted displays or smart glasses that augment our vision with integrated eye trackers started getting introduced to the market. Optimizing those display devices for the best viewing experience requires a good understanding of human visual perception. This talk aims to introduce the audience to the main properties of human visual perception and some of its exciting applications to improving novel display systems in creative ways. More specifically, we will discuss some applications that show:

- how we can cope with increasing computational demands of high-resolution displays using non-uniform sensitivity of human eye across the visual field,
- how we can predict eye movements in advance to combat with high system latency typically observed in gaze-contingent display systems, and
- how new generation Augmented Reality displays can be used to improve human task performance.

Short bio:
Okan Tursun received the BS and doctoral degrees in 2010 and 2016, respectively from METU, Turkey. They worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Germany from 2016-2019 and they are currently working at University of Lugano, Switzerland in the Perception, Display, and Fabrication group. Their research interests include the study of human visual perception and addressing recent issues observed in novel display technologies, high dynamic range imaging, machine learning, computer vision, and graphics applications.