Dennis R. Adler

Bio: Dennis R. Adler is an academic researcher from Microsoft. The author has contributed to research in topics: Video camera & Computer facial animation. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 7 publications receiving 426 citations.

Robust and Rapid Generation of Animated Faces from Video Images: A Model-Based Modeling Approach

Abstract: We have developed an easy-to-use and cost-effective system to construct textured 3D animated face models from videos with minimal user interaction. This is a particularly challenging task for faces due to a lack of prominent textures. We develop a robust system by following a model-based approach: we make full use of generic knowledge of faces in head motion determination, head tracking, model fitting, and multiple-view bundle adjustment. Our system first takes, with an ordinary video camera, images of a face of a person sitting in front of the camera turning their head from one side to the other. After five manual clicks on two images to indicate the position of the eye corners, nose tip and mouth corners, the system automatically generates a realistic looking 3D human head model that can be animated immediately (different poses, facial expressions and talking). A user, with a PC and a video camera, can use our system to generate his/her face model in a few minutes. The face model can then be imported in his/her favorite game, and the user sees themselves and their friends take part in the game they are playing. We have demonstrated the system on a laptop computer live at many events, and constructed face models for hundreds of people. It works robustly under various environment settings.

Common name space for long and short filenames

Abstract: An operating system provides a common name space for both long filenames and short filenames. In this common namespace, a long filename and a short filename are provided for each file. Each file has a short filename directory entry and may have at least one long filename directory entry associated with it. The number of long filename directory entries that are associated with a file depends on the number of characters in the long filename of the file. The long filename directory entries are configured to minimize compatibility problems with existing installed program bases.

Method and system for processing documents with embedded fonts

Abstract: A user of a host computer creates a document and embeds in the document a font file used to create the document. The user then transfers the document, along with the embedded font file, to a remote computer. The remote computer processes the document using the embedded font file. If the embedded font file contains a preview and print type of font, then the remote computer allows users to preview the document on a display screen and to print the document on a printer using the embedded font. However, the preview and print type of font does not allow the user to modify the document. If the embedded font file contains an editable type of font, then the remote computer allows the user to modify the document, save the modified document to an original file name, and print the modified document on the printer. However, the editable type of font does not allow the user to save the document under a file name different from the original file name.

Method and system for providing substitute computer fonts

Abstract: A method and system for providing a substitute font that visually approximates a selected font that is unavailable in a computer system is provided. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method and system first selects as the substitute font a font that is available in the computer system. The method and system then adjusts the overall widths of the characters of the substitute font to match the overall widths of the corresponding characters of the selected font. This causes the same combinations of characters of the substitute font and of the selected font to have substantially the same size and appearance. The method and system then makes the substitute font available to a program that has requested the selected font.

Method and system for providing a common name space for long and short file names in an operating system

Abstract: An operating system provides a common name space for both long filenames and short filenames In this common namespace, a long filename and a short filename are provided for each file Each file has a short filename directory entry and may have at least one long filename directory entry associated with it The number of long filename directory entries that are associated with a file depends on the number of characters in the long filename of the file The long filename directory entries are configured to minimize compatibility problems with existing installed program bases

Surgical robotic tools, data architecture, and use

Abstract: Robotic surgical tools, systems, and methods for preparing for, and performing robotic surgery include a memory (126) mounted on the tool (54). The memory (126) can perform a number of functions when the tool (54) is loaded on the tool manipulator (58). First, the memory can provide a signal verifying that the tool (54) is compatible with that particular robotic system. Secondly, the tool memory (126) may identify the tool-type to the robotic system so that the robotic system can reconfigure its programming. Thirdly, the memory (126) of the tool (54) may indicate tool specific information, including measured calibration offsets indicating misalignment of the tool drive system, tool life data, or the like. This information may be stored in a read only memory (ROM), or in a nonvolatile memory which can be written to only a single time. The invention further provides improved engagement structures for coupling robotic surgical tools with manipulator structures.

A quasi-dense approach to surface reconstruction from uncalibrated images

Abstract: This paper proposes a quasi-dense approach to 3D surface model acquisition from uncalibrated images. First, correspondence information and geometry are computed based on new quasi-dense point features that are resampled subpixel points from a disparity map. The quasi-dense approach gives more robust and accurate geometry estimations than the standard sparse approach. The robustness is measured as the success rate of full automatic geometry estimation with all involved parameters fixed. The accuracy is measured by a fast gauge-free uncertainty estimation algorithm. The quasi-dense approach also works for more largely separated images than the sparse approach, therefore, it requires fewer images for modeling. More importantly, the quasi-dense approach delivers a high density of reconstructed 3D points on which a surface representation can be reconstructed. This fills the gap of insufficiency of the sparse approach for surface reconstruction, essential for modeling and visualization applications. Second, surface reconstruction methods from the given quasi-dense geometry are also developed. The algorithm optimizes new unified functionals integrating both 3D quasi-dense points and 2D image information, including silhouettes. Combining both 3D data and 2D images is more robust than the existing methods using only 2D information or only 3D data. An efficient bounded regularization method is proposed to implement the surface evolution by level-set methods. Its properties are discussed and proven for some cases. As a whole, a complete automatic and practical system of 3D modeling from raw images captured by hand-held cameras to surface representation is proposed. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superior performance of the quasi-dense approach with respect to the standard sparse approach in robustness, accuracy, and applicability.

Method for providing a fault tolerant network using distributed server processes to remap clustered network resources to other servers during server failure

Abstract: The method of the current invention provides a fault tolerant access to a network resource. A replicated network directory database operates in conjunction with server resident processes to remap a network resource in the event of a server failure. The records/objects in the replicated database contain for each network resource, a primary and a secondary server affiliation. Initially, all users access a network resource through the server identified in the replicated database as being the primary server for the network resource. When server resident processes detect a failure of the primary server, the replicated database is updated to reflect the failure of the primary server, and to change the affiliation of the network resource from its primary to its backup server. This remapping occurs transparently to whichever user/client is accessing the network resource. As a result of the remapping, all users access the network resource through the server identified in the replicated database as the backup server for the resource. When the server resident processes detect a return to service of the primary server, the replicated database is again updated to reflect the resumed operation of the primary server. This remapping of network resource affiliations also occurs transparently to whichever user/client is accessing the network resource, and returns the resource to its original fault tolerant state.

Object-oriented system, method and article of manufacture for a client-server session WEB access in an interprise computing framework system

Abstract: An interprise computing manager in which an application is composed of a client (front end) program which communicates utilizing a network with a server (back end) program. The client and server programs are loosely coupled and exchange information using the network. The client program is composed of a User Interface (UI) and an object-oriented framework (Presentation Engine (PE) framework). The UI exchanges data messages with the framework. The framework is designed to handle two types of messages: (1) from the UI, and (2) from the server (back end) program via the network. The framework includes a component, the mediator which manages messages coming into and going out of the framework. The system includes software for a client computer, a server computer and a network for connecting the client computer to the server computer which utilize an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, by a plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each for transmission over the network to a client computer to initiate coupling; and a plurality of server computer code segments resident on the server which execute on the server in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol. Communication is initiated utilizing the network to acquire characteristics of the client from the network.