Vision for the Future

人类大脑中大约一半的皮质物质参与处理视觉信息，比所有其他感官的总和还要多。这反映了视觉对功能和生存的重要性，但也解释了它在娱乐我们，培训我们和告知我们的决策过程中的作用。然而，我们对自然环境中的视觉过程仍然知之甚少，这就是为什么它在如此广泛的应用中是如此重要的研究领域。视觉很重要：YouTube视频占所有互联网流量的25%，在美国，Netflix占峰值流量的33%;到2016年，思科预测视频将占所有流量的54%（如果包括P2P视频分发，则为86%），其中总IP流量预计为1.3泽字节。移动的网络运营商预测，在未来10年内，主要由视频流量驱动的需求将增长1000倍。在另一个极端，哺乳动物的眼睛被猎豹用来在自然地形上以超过80公里/小时的速度进行稳定的运动，而人类则用来以亚毫米的精度穿针或识别面部表情的细微变化。螳螂虾使用12个颜色通道（人类只使用3个）和偏振，它拥有动物王国中最快和最准确的罢工。因此，视觉是动物与世界互动的核心。因此，深入了解人类和动物在沉浸、运动和视觉搜索等领域的感知和视觉处理的基本方面，再加上工程解决方案的创新，对于提供与消费者、互联网、机器人和环境监测应用相关的未来技术至关重要。该项目将在三个跨学科领域开展研究：视觉沉浸，寻找和隐藏的东西，和视觉运动。这些是理解人类如何与视觉世界互动的关键。通过利用计算机科学，电子工程，心理学和生物学的知识和紧密结合的研究，我们将为基于视觉的技术设计提供全新的方法和解决方案。我们认识到，平衡高风险研究与基础计划的一致性至关重要。因此，我们将鼓励一种新的沙坑方法来产生想法，研究人员可以开发自己的迷你项目。这将与使用同行审查的风险管理程序保持一致，以确保赠款的全部潜力得到实现。管理团队将定期在需要时通过BVI咨询小组寻求独立意见。我们的PDRA将以超越传统赠款的方式受益。例如，他们将接受以下指导：i）参与创意研讨会，在计划内定义和交付自己的小型项目; ii）将这些项目发展为完整的提案（补助金或研究金），如合适的话; iii）借调到国际合作组织，使他们能够获得不同的研究文化的经验; iv）领导组织重要活动，如英属维尔京群岛青年研究人员座谈会; v）接受培训，成为STEM大使，参与外展活动和公众参与;以及vii）探索利用其知识产权。最后，我们将密切联系英属维尔京群岛的博士培训活动，以这笔赠款，提供更大的研究杠杆和研究监督的经验，为我们的工作人员。

Approximately half the cortical matter in the human brain is involved in processing visual information, more than for all of the other senses combined. This reflects the importance of vision for function and survival but also explains its role in entertaining us, training us and informing our decision-making processes. However, we still understand relatively little about visual processes in naturalistic environments and this is why it is such an important research area across such a broad range of applications.Vision is important: YouTube video accounts for 25% of all internet traffic and in the US, Netflix accounts for 33% of peak traffic; by 2016 video is predicted by CISCO to account for 54% of all traffic (86% if P2P video distribution is included) where the total IP traffic is predicted to be 1.3 zettabytes. Mobile network operators predict a 1000 fold increase in demand over the next 10 years driven primarily by video traffic. At the other extreme, the mammalian eye is used by cheetahs to implement stable locomotion over natural terrain at over 80km/h and by humans to thread a needle with sub-millimetre accuracy or to recognise subtle changes in facial expression. The mantis shrimp uses 12 colour channels (humans use only three) together with polarisation and it possesses the fastest and most accurate strike in the animal kingdom. Vision is thus central to the way animals interact with the world. A deeper understanding of the fundamental aspects of perception and visual processing in humans and animals, across the domains of immersion, movement and visual search, coupled with innovation in engineering solutions, is therefore essential in delivering future technology related to consumer, internet, robotic and environmental monitoring applications.This project will conduct research across three interdisciplinary strands: Visual Immersion, Finding and Hiding Things, and Vision in Motion. These are key to understanding how humans interact with the visual world. By drawing on knowledge and closely coupled research across computer science, electronic engineering, psychology and biology we will deliver radically new approaches to, and solutions in, the design of vision based technology. We recognise that it is critical to balance high risk research with the coherence of the underlying programme. We will thus instigate a new sandpit approach to ideas generation where researchers can develop their own mini-projects. This will be aligned with a risk management process using peer review to ensure that the full potential of the grant is realised. The management team will periodically and when needed, seek independent advice through a BVI Advisory panel. Our PDRAs will benefit in ways beyond those on conventional grants. They will for example be mentored to: i) engage in ideas generation workshops, defining and delivering their own mini-projects within the programme; ii) develop these into full proposals (grants or fellowships) if appropriate; iii) undertake secondments to international collaborator organisations, enabling them to gain experience of different research cultures; iv) lead the organisation of key events such as the BVI Young Researchers' Colloquium; v) be trained as STEM ambassadors to engage in outreach activities and public engagement; and vii) explore exploitation of their intellectual property. Finally we will closely link BVI's doctoral training activities to this grant, providing greater research leverage and experience of research supervision for our staff.