CS Colloq: Jernej Barbic

Time: 4 PM - 5:30 PMLocation: SSL 150Talk Title: Real-time Deformable Objects: Graphics, Haptics, Sound, Control
Speaker: Jernej Barbic (MIT)
Host: Prof. Michael ZydaAbstract:
Real-time deformable objects are an exciting research area in computer graphics, with applications to computer games, movie industry, CAD/CAM, and virtual medicine. Deformable objects are well-understood in solid mechanics, however the standard simulation algorithms are too slow for interactive simulation with detailed geometry. How can we support real-time simulation on commodity workstations, while compromising physical correctness as little as possible?I will present reduced nonlinear deformable objects, a novel class of deformable objects obtained by applying statistical model reduction to finite element models of nonlinear elasticity. The idea is to replace the general degrees of freedom of a deformable object for a much smaller set of reduced degrees of freedom, thereby trading accuracy for speed. The reduced degrees of freedom incorporate geometric and material information, and can be chosen automatically from the first principles of continuum mechanics.I will also present a time-critical algorithm for deformable collision detection, and contact force computation between two reduced deformable (or rigid) objects with detailed geometry. The algorithm exploits reduction to achieve haptic update rates (1,000 Hz), and can be applied to deformable object path planning, virtual CAD/CAM, or other high update rate simulations in robotics.Reduction can also provide fast deformable models to drive real-time sound simulations. I will outline an algorithm where both the mechanical vibrations (deformations) that cause sound, and the sound propagation (wave equation) into the surrounding air for detailed geometries, are simulated at audio rates (44,100 Hz).Finally, I will discuss ongoing research on how model reduction can be used not only for fast forward simulation, but also for fast control.
Such control enables faster design of animations, and can provide directable real-time interaction in computer games.Bio:
Jernej Barbic received the computer science PhD degree from Carnegie Mellon University, in 2007. He is currently a postdoc in the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, The Stata Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts. His research interests include computer graphics, animation, real-time simulation, FEM deformable objects, haptic rendering of contact for geometrically rich scenarios, sound simulation, and model reduction and control of nonlinear systems.

Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: CS Front Desk