A professor of engineering at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) has urged the nation to put more effort into researching the emerging technology of 3D reconstruction, the process of capturing the shape and appearance of real objects using computer vision and graphics.
Mastering 3D reconstruction technology would put Taiwan at the forefront of smart robotics and virtual reality (VR), Department of Electrical Engineering professor Yeh Chia-hung (葉家宏) said on Thursday.
Early 3D reconstruction technology applied mostly to 3D printing, but that is changing, Yeh said.
With the advances in computational algorithms and data analysis in recent years, technologies such as smart robotics, VR and autonomous driving have been emerging rapidly, which has led to wider applications for 3D reconstruction technology, he said.
High-tech companies like Apple, Qualcomm and Sony have been delving deep into 3D reconstruction technology, Yeh said, citing the example of Face ID, a facial unlock feature on Apple’s iPhone X.
Taiwan needs to put more emphasis on 3D reconstruction research if it wants to be part of this trend, he said.
The technology is important in robotic imagery and improvements would greatly enhance accuracy and visual recognition, Yeh said.
Taiwan has said it wants to develop its smart robotic industry, which is dependent on 3D reconstruction, but to achieve this goal, the government would need software developers, he said.
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