Multiple stages of motion processing

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Optical flow motion processing is fundamental to everyday life. In order to obtain important environmental information to the viewer that will allow her/him to react appropriately, the visual system needs to extract and differentiate different patterns of optical flow motion signals from the environment. For example, systematic transformation of moving objects is one of the most powerful sources for reconstructing the 3-dimensional surfaces of the objects. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Takeo Watanabe's research aims at understanding how different types of motion signals are related to each other in the brain from a global framework of motion processing. The research will be conducted using psychophysics and fMRI in which Dr. Watanabe will systematically measure brain activity with different types of motion and can learn how they are related to each other. Broader impacts of the project include educational and medical advances, improved navigational skills of drivers and pilots, and enhanced artificial intelligence/robotics. Educational benefits will include the training of graduate and undergraduate students in use of the methodology and technology. The research also has the potential to be directly applied to clinical research in neurosurgery by contributing to scientific knowledge leading to development of medical tools for improved diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders or lesions. The research can also provide important knowledge to enhance the navigation skills of drivers and pilots. Finally, construction of robots with the artificial intellectual power to effectively detect and utilize motion information would be of benefit to both the civilian/medical and military fields.