Research Projects (2001)

In the process of packaging high quality apples the proper placement of the fruit in the tray is critical (i.e. the most appealing side should face towards the customer, all stalks should face into the same direction). Currently this sorting is done manually, at an additional cost of about 36 Euro (500 Schillings) per ton of apples. The automation of this process should result in a significant cost reduction. The first step of the packaging process rotates the apple so that its symmetry axis is vertical with either stalk or bloom facing upwards. This is done mechanically. The next step determines the position of the most appealing side of the apple (i.e. the horizontal angle) and decides whether stalk or bloom is facing upwards (the vertical angle). This is done by digital image processing. The apple is rotated by 360 degrees. A digital camera captures a sequence of images at different orientations and the image processing software measures fruit quality and vertical orientation in real-time. In the last step, a robot brings the apple to its ideal position and puts it into the tray.

Partnerlist:

Schuster Messtechnik

Resection is the treatment of choice for patients suffering from liver tumors. Knowledge about involved liver segments, tumor size and topographic relationship of the tumor to vessels is needed for the decision if sufficient liver function capacity is guaranteed after a resection and for detailed planning of a possible resection. The main information sources are cross sectional imaging modalities like CT which deliver 2D images. The radiologist has thus to put all the information of the cross sectional images together in order to provide the surgeons with the needed information about the 3D topology. This process is difficult, tedious and time consuming. Combining the methods of medical computer vision and graphics a liver surgery planning system can be developed that enables a better overview and thus helps unfolding the full potential of surgical methods. Available approaches show that a number of improvements, specially on the fields of automation of segmentation and user friendly visualization are necessary to attain clinical applicability and gain the full acceptance by radiologists and surgeons. The goal of this research project is to develop an experimental environment for the staging of liver operations. Special efforts will be put on two issues. First, a fully automated segmentation of the liver, its vessels and tumors will be studied. Second, the environment for the interactive, cooperative visualization of the medical sensor data, the extracted anatomical structures, and for the use of tools to assess the best surgical approach will be developed and assessed. After development, the approaches for segmentation/partitioning, visualization and interactive resection will undergo a careful validation procedure.