Alcatel-Lucent Innovation award 2007 / IBBT iLab-O inauguration

1. Department of
Electronics and
Informatics
(ETRO)
19/12/2007 1

2. The ETRO structure
The Department of Electronics and Informatics (ETRO) of the Vrije
Universiteit Brussel (
i ii l (VUB) comprises f
) i four major research
j h
laboratories: Micro- and Optoelectronics (LAMI), Digital Speech &
Audio Processing (DSSP), Image Processing & Machine Vision
(IRIS), Digital Telecommunications and Parallel & Distributed
Processing (TELE). These teams are covering a wide range of
generic technologies, which cannot be dealt with separately when
the real world ICT applications of the Information Society are
envisaged.
The collaboration between the four participating research groups
leads to integrated transdisciplinary R&D, e.g. in speech/audio and
image/video processing in the context of multimedia research, in
the exploitation of new opto-electronic d i
h li i f l i devices ffor applications of
li i f
ambient intelligence, and in joint source-channel coding.

3. ETRO: an IBBT partner
From a complementary perspective, the groups IRIS and DSSP
are partners in the Interdisciplinary Institute for BroadBand
Technologies (IBBT). The major goal of IBBT is to pursue
strategic and applied R&D activities in information technology.
ETRO comprises a large pool of both fundamental research and
strategic and applied R&D activities which is synergetically
activities,
related to the research in the context of IBBT. The IBBT-ETRO
team (IRIS and DSSP) comprises 80 researchers and represents
19 nationalities.
Belgium
Bulgaria
China
Croatia
Cuba
Egypt
Germany
Greece
Italy
Jordan
Malaysia
Netherlands
Pakistan
Poland
Romania
Switzerland
ld
Tunisia
Turkey
Viet Nam

4. Key Competences
Multimedia Communication
wavelet theory, new geometric
transforms, information theory, motion
estimation and compensation, entropy
coding, rate-distortion optimisation,
region-of-interest coding, transcoding,
error resilient coding, multiple
desc iption coding, dist ib ted so ce
description coding distributed source
coding, object-based / segmentation-
based coding, 3D graphics,
watermarking, efficient implementation
strategies
Computer/Machine Vision
active vision, audiovisual analysis,
motion estimation and segmentation,
3D reconstruction from motion & stereo,
Speech and Audio Modification
image segmentation and classification,
Techniques
visual object tracking, ontology-based
semantic scene analysis, event
y, speech modification, emotional/affective
p , /
detection, robot navigation & sensing speech synthesis, fundamental models of
(perception), 3D animation, wireless sound production and perception, digital
positioning and tracking devices signal processing, stochastic modeling
and machine learning, emotion
recognition, keyword spotting, noise
Medical Image Analysis and suppression for automatic speech
eHealth recognition, text-to-speech synthesis,
recognition , text to speech synthesis
computer aided diagnosis, content-based audio post-production, automation for
search, image registration, analysis of film and video, computer assisted
biomedical signals, behavioral analysis, language learning, voice conversion, time
activity recognition, image fusion, scaling and pitch shifting for speech and
medical data compression, eHealth, music, speech analysis for biomedical
medical imaging applications, analysis of animal sounds

5. Application domains
Shot segmentation and scene identification
Video segmentation and motion tracking
The research activities of ETRO
span a wide area of application
domains covering applications
such as new media, multimedia
communication, security &
surveillance, eCulture, eHealth,
eLearning, mobility, remote
sensing industrial visual
sensing,
inspection, medical imaging, Visible image
mobility, virtual environments,
robotics, asset & person
positioning and tracking, post
production automation, digital
audio effects and editing,
di ff t d diti
expressive speech synthesis and
recognition …
Mm-wave i
M image @94GHz
@94GH

6. R&D Strategy
Besides the area of medical imaging where – due to its specificity
– ETRO has build a specific competence group most of the
group,
research is planned at a strategic and fundamental level, i.e.
ETRO is delivering components for E2E systems. Often, the
generic contextualization of the research in an industrial setting
is done with strategic intermediaries such as IBBT, but also IMEC
and IncGeo. ETRO possesses an intrinsically high knowledge of
the applications covered
covered.

7. iLab.O
iLab.O is
iL b O i one of the three iL b pillars of IBBT Th l b
fh h iLab ill f IBBT. The laboratory studies
di
open innovation strategies in ICT and sets up test and
experimentation platforms. It also performs Living Lab research for
achieving policy and business goals using experimental methods as
well as a multi-stakeholder analysis and co-design with users, policy
and business partners. It is part of the IBBT-SMIT and IBBT-ETRO
research group based at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and makes use
of a WiFi mesh pilot network in the heart of Brussels.

8. Some IBBT Projects
Multimedia Content
Distribution Platform
eHealth I f
H lth Information ti
(MCDP)
Platforms (eHIP)
This project investigates
The focus of this project
how to build-up a future-
aims at realising a
proof multimedia content
patient-centric,
distribution system that is
communitywide
open to different types of
healthcare information
content and network
platform. This platform
service platforms. ETRO
p
must provide secure and
investigates transcoding
reliable access to patient
technologies.
data at the point of care
End-to-End Quality of
by authorized healthcare
Experience (QoE)
professionals. A
MAximising DVB-H
The Quality of Experience
volumetric extension of
Usage in Flanders
project is trying to match
the JPEG2000 standard
(MADUF)
user quality expectations
has been developed by
For Mobile TV services
with technology-driven
technology driven
ETRO and adopted as Part
using DVB-H technology,
and network-related
10 of the JPEG2000
this project is setting-up
quality of service. Error-
standard.
an ad hoc Living Lab.
resilient communication of
ETRO focuses on the
scalable video and 3D
statistical multiplexing of
graphics is studied by
scalable video streams
ETRO in this project.
over DVB-H channels and
the provision of
interactivity.
Image-based Computer
Assistance for
Diagnosis and Therapy
(ICA4DT)
The central, unifying
theme of this project is to
address the upcoming
radiological crisis of ever
g
larger amounts of medical
image data needing
interpretation by the
radiologist. ETRO
examines 4D liver
perfusion datasets as well
as mammograms for the
early detection of lesions
and cancer.

9. Some IBBT Projects
Wireless Building
Automation (WBA)
The purpose of the WBA
Innovative Platform for
project is to introduce the
Electronic Archiving
use of wireless networking
(IPEA)
technologies in the
IPEA is developing
management of public
community standards for
buildings or professional
Virtual Individual
the exchange and
infrastructures. ETRO
Networks (VIN)
archiving of audiovisual
contributes to the MPEG-2
Every person is,
data in Flanders. ETRO
to H.264 transcoding,
consciously or not, a
contributes to the media
motion estimation and
member of several
format study.
wireless positioning
networks and
activities.
communities.
Technological
innovations support, color
and configure sociality
d fi i li
within these networks and
enable users to become
more active in their social
setting of everyday life
and work. This requires
Performing arts
mid- and long-term
Multimedia
research on the relation
Dissemination
bt
between user
(Pokumon)
communities and
PokuMOn tackles the
Grid Enabled
technology, as well as into
problems of online
Infrastructure for
the elaboration and
distribution and archiving
Service oriented High
refinement of
of multimedia of
definition media
methodological and
performing arts
Applications (GEISHA)
technological tools.
and (classical) music.
This project aims at
Immersive 3D
ETRO investigates the
g
designing and building
environments are studied
necessary media formats.
Proof of Concepts (POCs)
by ETRO in this project
of a High Definition media
both from a signal
production and storage
analysis and signal
environment, based on an
synthesis perspective.
optimal choice of mostly
IP based components.
ETRO focuses on the
encoding HD media data
data.

10. National and
International C t t
It ti l Context
The Vrije Universiteit B
Th V ij U i i i Brussel h
l has selected ETRO as one of i three
l d f its h
IOF-poles (Industrial Research Fund), meaning that ETRO is
recognised as an IOF-excellence centre due to its track record of
industrial research based on a well-developed strategic and
fundamental research portfolio. It is also important to mention the
coordinating role of ETRO in the Audiovisual Systems (AVS) research
community supported by the National Science Foundation (FWO)
(www.avs.vub.ac.be).
MeshGrid, a new scalable mesh representation developed by ETRO and adopted by MPEG-4.
Over the years, ETRO pioneered the work in many fields, including:
• the first designs of a lossless lifting scheme for wavelet transforms;
• the design of fast algorithms for wavelet transform
implementations;
• the design of embedded multiple description scalar quantization;
• the development of new scalable image, video and 3D graphics
coding architectures, with significant impact at standardization
level, both in the JPEG and MPEG committees;
• etc.

11. Partners
Barco, Nokia Siemens Networks, Ubiwave, Vooruit, Telindus,
Televic, Niko, Cronos, Agfa, Medibridge, Language & Computing,
Medicim, Namahn, Androme, 4C, Videohouse, VMMa, VRT,
Belgacom, Option, Proximus, Scientific Atlanta, Telenet, Skynet,
g ,p , , , , y ,
Vlaamse Overheid, Digipolis, Corv@, De Vlaamse Infolijn, Indigov,
Rohde & Schwartz, Runcom, Wavecom, Vitec, Cisco, Comsof, IBM,
NextiraOne, Porthus, Barco Silex,Ballet van Vlaanderen, Microsoft,
De Bijloke, Siemens, De Filharmonie, De Singel, Muziekcentrum,
Rosas, VCV, VTI, Vlaamse Opera, Alcatel-Lucent,
Concentra, NXP,
Concentra NXP ITS Telematics Cluster Icoms Communications,
Cluster, Communications
TC Matix, Touring, Traficon, Transport & Mobility Leuven,
Van den Berg, Vialis, Vlaams Verkeerscentrum ...

12. Vrije Universiteit Brussel - IBBT
Department of Electronics and Informatics
p
Pleinlaan 9 - 1050 Brussels - Belgium
www.etro.vub.ac.be - www.ibbt.be
IBBT-ETRO Contact: Peter.Schelkens@vub.ac.be