Simmetrie e processi visivi

Di Gesù, Vito

La Matematica nella società e nella cultura, Série 1, Tome 2 (2009) no. 1, pp. 1-30

Résumé

The paper intends to provide an overview of methods and algorithms that are exploited in designing and implementing artificial vision systems, and the existing connections of this applied topic with mathematics are underlined. Main emphasis is given to the concept of spatial symmetry and its role in different phases of an artificial visual system. Symmetry properties establish the invariance of a system to a given set of transformations. Physicists assign special meaning whenever symmetry is broken in nature; for example, groups of symmetry have been used to explain and predict the spatial organization of atoms in a crystal. Psychologists consider relevant the property of symmetry in the perception of visual signals. The paper will briefly describe different approaches, introduced in computer vision, to measure and detect symmetry. A review of some applications is also provided and regards the role of symmetry in attentive visual processing, the analysis of faces, the recognition of object, and the analysis of texture.