Thomas Binford
Encyclopedia
Thomas Oriel Binford has been a leading researcher in image analysis
and computer vision
since 1967. He is known for pioneering a model-based approach to computer vision in which complex objects are represented as collections of generalized cylinders
. His results reflect seminal work in numerous other areas of research including the interpretation of complex scenes using invariants and quasi-invariants, inference rules and evidential reasoning in extended Bayes networks of symbolic geometric constraints, the SUCCESSOR system, a portable, intelligent vision system, stereo and visual robot navigation, segmentation and feature estimation in complex images, color image analysis, surface material analysis, and image compression. He has led the development of numerous computer vision systems, including systems successfully employed in brain surgery on humans, high-precision automated machining, and helicopter navigation.
Binford received a Ph.D. in particle physics
in 1965 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, under the supervision of Myron L. Good
; his thesis was entitled "Angular Distribution and Polarization of Neutral Hyperons Produced in Association with Neutral Kaons". He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
in Mumbai, India from 1965 to 1966, and a research scientist at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory from 1966 to 1970.
From 1970 to 2000 he was a professor of computer science
at Stanford University
; in 2000 he retired to become an emeritus
professor. While at Stanford, Professor Binford supervised more than 40 PhD
theses while leading research in computer vision, artificial intelligence, medical image processing, radar image understanding, robotics, industrial inspection, and manufacturing; notable students of Binford's include Rodney Brooks
and Jitendra Malik
.
Since retiring from active research at Stanford, Dr. Binford has founded and is chairman and chief technology officer of Read-Ink Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a company in Bangalore
, India
specializing in online handwriting recognition software. In 1994 Thomas Binford was elected a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
"for his role as a founding father in the field of computer vision and model-based perception in robotics; and for his many contributions to the fields".
Image analysis
Image analysis is the extraction of meaningful information from images; mainly from digital images by means of digital image processing techniques...
and computer vision
Computer vision
Computer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
since 1967. He is known for pioneering a model-based approach to computer vision in which complex objects are represented as collections of generalized cylinders
Cylinder (geometry)
A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes, the surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given line segment, the axis of the cylinder. The solid enclosed by this surface and by two planes perpendicular to the axis is also called a cylinder...
. His results reflect seminal work in numerous other areas of research including the interpretation of complex scenes using invariants and quasi-invariants, inference rules and evidential reasoning in extended Bayes networks of symbolic geometric constraints, the SUCCESSOR system, a portable, intelligent vision system, stereo and visual robot navigation, segmentation and feature estimation in complex images, color image analysis, surface material analysis, and image compression. He has led the development of numerous computer vision systems, including systems successfully employed in brain surgery on humans, high-precision automated machining, and helicopter navigation.
Binford received a Ph.D. in particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
in 1965 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, under the supervision of Myron L. Good
Myron L. Good
Myron Lindsay Good was an American physicist, a professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Stony Brook University.Good's research interests spanned a broad range of topics in particle physics...
; his thesis was entitled "Angular Distribution and Polarization of Neutral Hyperons Produced in Association with Neutral Kaons". He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is a research institution in India dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. It is located at Navy Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai...
in Mumbai, India from 1965 to 1966, and a research scientist at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory from 1966 to 1970.
From 1970 to 2000 he was a professor of computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
; in 2000 he retired to become an emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
professor. While at Stanford, Professor Binford supervised more than 40 PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
theses while leading research in computer vision, artificial intelligence, medical image processing, radar image understanding, robotics, industrial inspection, and manufacturing; notable students of Binford's include Rodney Brooks
Rodney Brooks
Rodney Allen Brooks is the former Panasonic professor of robotics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since 1986 he has authored a series of highly influential papers which have inaugurated a fundamental shift in artificial intelligence research...
and Jitendra Malik
Jitendra Malik
Jitendra Malik is a researcher in computer vision, the Arthur J. Chick Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley....
.
Since retiring from active research at Stanford, Dr. Binford has founded and is chairman and chief technology officer of Read-Ink Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a company in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
specializing in online handwriting recognition software. In 1994 Thomas Binford was elected a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence or AAAI is an international, nonprofit, scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines...
"for his role as a founding father in the field of computer vision and model-based perception in robotics; and for his many contributions to the fields".