Deeper neural networks are more difficult to train. We present a residual learning framework to ease the training of networks that are substantially deeper than those used previously. We explicitly reformulate the layers as learning residual functions with reference to the layer inputs, instead of learning unreferenced functions. We provide comprehensive empirical evidence showing that these residual networks are easier to optimize, and can gain accuracy from considerably increased depth. On the ImageNet dataset we evaluate residual nets with a depth of up to 152 layers—8× deeper than VGG nets [40] but still having lower complexity. An ensemble of these residual nets achieves 3.57% error on the ImageNet test set. This result won the 1st place on the ILSVRC 2015 classification task. We also present analysis on CIFAR-10 with 100 and 1000 layers. The depth of representations is of central importance for many visual recognition tasks. Solely due to our extremely deep representations, we obtain a 28% relative improvement on the COCO object detection dataset. Deep residual nets are foundations of our submissions to ILSVRC & COCO 2015 competitions1, where we also won the 1st places on the tasks of ImageNet detection, ImageNet localization, COCO detection, and COCO segmentation.

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Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition

In this work we investigate the effect of the convolutional network depth on its accuracy in the large-scale image recognition setting. Our main contribution is a thorough evaluation of networks of increasing depth using an architecture with very small (3x3) convolution filters, which shows that a significant improvement on the prior-art configurations can be achieved by pushing the depth to 16-19 weight layers. These findings were the basis of our ImageNet Challenge 2014 submission, where our team secured the first and the second places in the localisation and classification tracks respectively. We also show that our representations generalise well to other datasets, where they achieve state-of-the-art results. We have made our two best-performing ConvNet models publicly available to facilitate further research on the use of deep visual representations in computer vision.

Very Deep Convolutional Networks for Large-Scale Image Recognition

Deeper neural networks are more difficult to train. We present a residual learning framework to ease the training of networks that are substantially deeper than those used previously. We explicitly reformulate the layers as learning residual functions with reference to the layer inputs, instead of learning unreferenced functions. We provide comprehensive empirical evidence showing that these residual networks are easier to optimize, and can gain accuracy from considerably increased depth. On the ImageNet dataset we evaluate residual nets with a depth of up to 152 layers---8x deeper than VGG nets but still having lower complexity. An ensemble of these residual nets achieves 3.57% error on the ImageNet test set. This result won the 1st place on the ILSVRC 2015 classification task. We also present analysis on CIFAR-10 with 100 and 1000 layers. 
The depth of representations is of central importance for many visual recognition tasks. Solely due to our extremely deep representations, we obtain a 28% relative improvement on the COCO object detection dataset. Deep residual nets are foundations of our submissions to ILSVRC & COCO 2015 competitions, where we also won the 1st places on the tasks of ImageNet detection, ImageNet localization, COCO detection, and COCO segmentation.

Deep learning is a form of machine learning that enables computers to learn from experience and understand the world in terms of a hierarchy of concepts. Because the computer gathers knowledge from experience, there is no need for a human computer operator to formally specify all the knowledge that the computer needs. The hierarchy of concepts allows the computer to learn complicated concepts by building them out of simpler ones; a graph of these hierarchies would be many layers deep. This book introduces a broad range of topics in deep learning. The text offers mathematical and conceptual background, covering relevant concepts in linear algebra, probability theory and information theory, numerical computation, and machine learning. It describes deep learning techniques used by practitioners in industry, including deep feedforward networks, regularization, optimization algorithms, convolutional networks, sequence modeling, and practical methodology; and it surveys such applications as natural language processing, speech recognition, computer vision, online recommendation systems, bioinformatics, and videogames. Finally, the book offers research perspectives, covering such theoretical topics as linear factor models, autoencoders, representation learning, structured probabilistic models, Monte Carlo methods, the partition function, approximate inference, and deep generative models. Deep Learning can be used by undergraduate or graduate students planning careers in either industry or research, and by software engineers who want to begin using deep learning in their products or platforms. A website offers supplementary material for both readers and instructors.

Deep Learning

Effect of fixation on neovascularization during bone healing.

Approximate convex decomposition aims to decompose a 3D shape into a set of almost convex components, whose convex hulls can then be used to represent the input shape. It thus enables efficient geometry processing algorithms specifically designed for convex shapes and has been widely used in game engines, physics simulations, and animation. While prior works can capture the global structure of input shapes, they may fail to preserve fine-grained details (e.g., filling a toaster's slots), which are critical for retaining the functionality of objects in interactive environments. In this paper, we propose a novel method that addresses the limitations of existing approaches from three perspectives: (a) We introduce a novel collision-aware concavity metric that examines the distance between a shape and its convex hull from both the boundary and the interior. The proposed concavity preserves collision conditions and is more robust to detect various approximation errors. (b) We decompose shapes by directly cutting meshes with 3D planes. It ensures generated convex hulls are intersection-free and avoids voxelization errors. (c) Instead of using a one-step greedy strategy, we propose employing a multi-step tree search to determine the cutting planes, which leads to a globally better solution and avoids unnecessary cuttings. Through extensive evaluation on a large-scale articulated object dataset, we show that our method generates decompositions closer to the original shape with fewer components. It thus supports delicate and efficient object interaction in downstream applications.

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Approximate convex decomposition for 3D meshes with collision-aware concavity and tree search

To alleviate the resource constraint for real-time point cloud applications that run on edge devices, in this paper we present BiPointNet, the first model binarization approach for efficient deep learning on point clouds. We discover that the immense performance drop of binarized models for point clouds mainly stems from two challenges: aggregation-induced feature homogenization that leads to a degradation of information entropy, and scale distortion that hinders optimization and invalidates scale-sensitive structures. With theoretical justifications and in-depth analysis, our BiPointNet introduces Entropy-Maximizing Aggregation (EMA) to modulate the distribution before aggregation for the maximum information entropy, and Layer-wise Scale Recovery (LSR) to efficiently restore feature representation capacity. Extensive experiments show that BiPointNet outperforms existing binarization methods by convincing margins, at the level even comparable with the full precision counterpart. We highlight that our techniques are generic, guaranteeing significant improvements on various fundamental tasks and mainstream backbones. Moreover, BiPointNet gives an impressive 14.7× speedup and 18.9× storage saving on real-world resource-constrained devices.

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BiPointNet: Binary Neural Network for Point Clouds

Reinforcement learning (RL) has traditionally been understood from an episodic perspective; the concept of non-episodic RL, where there is no restart and therefore no reliable recovery, remains elusive. A fundamental question in non-episodic RL is how to measure the performance of a learner and derive algorithms to maximize such performance. Conventional wisdom is to maximize the difference between the average reward received by the learner and the maximal long-term average reward. In this paper, we argue that if the total time budget is relatively limited compared to the complexity of the environment, such comparison may fail to reflect the finite-time optimality of the learner. We propose a family of measures, called $\gamma$-regret, which we believe to better capture the finite-time optimality. We give motivations and derive lower and upper bounds for such measures. Note: A follow-up work (arXiv:2010.00587) has improved both our lower and upper bound, the gap is now closed at $\tilde{\Theta}\left(\frac{\sqrt{SAT}}{(1 - \gamma)^{\frac{1}{2}}}\right)$.

Regret Bounds for Discounted MDPs.

A needle steering system and apparatus provides active, semi-autonomous control of needle insertion paths while still enabling a clinician ultimate control over needle insertion. The present teaching describes a method and system for controlling needle path as the needle is inserted by precisely controlling the rotation of the needle as it continuously rotates during insertion. This enables underactuated 2 degree-of-freedom (DOF) control of the direction and the curvature of the needle from a single rotary actuator. Control of the rotary motion is therefore decoupled from the needle insertion. The rotary motion controls steering effort and direction, while the insertion controls needle depth or insertion speed. In one implementation, the proposed method does not require constant velocity insertion, interleaved insertion and rotation, or known insertion position or speed. The insertion may be provided by a robot or other automated method, may be a manual insertion, or may be teleoperated.

Hao Su

Papers

Effect of fixation on neovascularization during bone healing.

Approximate convex decomposition for 3D meshes with collision-aware concavity and tree search

BiPointNet: Binary Neural Network for Point Clouds

Regret Bounds for Discounted MDPs.

System and method for underactuated control of insertion path for asymmetric tip needles