Research

Primary research directions

	Computer Graphics Group (CGG), prof. Jiří Žára
	Realistic image synthesis (real-time rendering, production rendering)
	Analysis, representation, and rendering of complex 3D scenes
	Simulation and rendering of natural phenomena
	Virtual and augmented reality

	Human Computer Interaction Center (HCI Center), prof. Pavel Slavík
	Multimodal user interfaces (visual, audio, haptic, gestures)
	Special user interfaces (mobile applications, industry applications, intelligent household, iDTV)
	Accessibility (visually impaired people, motor impaired people, elder people)

	Institute of Intermedia (IIM), Dr. Roman Berka
	Transdisciplinary research in technology, science, performance and the arts
	Collaborations between students, artists, academics and scientists
	Virtual and mixed realities, multimedia, net art, interactive installations, electronic and generative music synthesis, motion-capture and distributed sensing

Call for papers

Temporary Handicaps and Disabilities session at HCI International, July 2011, Orlando

Running projects

	V3C - Visual Computing Competence Center
	(Jiří Žára)
	The Visual Computing Competence Center comprises two universities (BUT Brno, CTU in Prague), two R&D partners (CAMEA Brno, EyeDea Prague), and two industrial partners (UNIS Brno, UPP Prague). Its mission is research and development in the area of Visual Computing, namely in automobile and movie industry. By interconnecting two important research areas – Computer Graphics and Image Processing it opens new horizons for creation of efficient and complex methods applicable in many practical domains.

	Center for Computer Graphics
	(Jiří Žára)
	The Center for Computer Graphics covers computer graphics groups of four prominent universities in the Czech Republic: Czech Technical University in Prague, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Masaryk University in Brno, and Brno University of Technology. The center aims to combine the expertise of the partners and stimulate their cooperation in the area of new interaction methods for virtual reality, development of algorithms for modelling and visualization, and the design of specialized graphics hardware.

	Virtual and Augmented Environments and Realistic User Interactions To achieve Embedded Accessibility DesignS (VERITAS)
	(Pavel Slavík)
	VERITAS aims to develop, validate and assess tools for built-in accessibility support at all stages of ICT and non-ICT product development, including specification, design, development and testing. The goal is to introduce simulationbased and virtual reality testing at all stages of assistive technologies product design and development into the automotive, smart living spaces (buildings & construction, domotics), workplace, ehealth and infotainment applications areas. The goal is to ensure that future products and services are being systematically designed for all people including those with disabilities and functional limitations as well as older people.

	Intuitive Interaction for Everyone with Home Appliances based on Industry Standards (I2HOME)
	(Pavel Slavík)
	There are many people with disabilities, in particular persons with cognitive disabilities and older persons, that are excluded from using modern technologies, at home and in the public. Project I2HOME will address this problem with an approach based on existing and evolving industry standards. We will focus on the use of home appliances (including consumer electronics) by persons with cognitive disabilities and older persons. At the same time we will take care that the developed and standardized access strategies will be applicable to domains beyond the home.

	Vital Mind (VM)
	(Pavel Slavík)
	The Vital Mind (VM) project intends to use a combination of cognitive psychology, the television medium and advanced interactive Information Computer Technology (ICT) to enable the elderly to actively participate in mind fitness exercises while they are sitting in front of their TV set in order to to enhance their basic elements of cognition and improve their quality of living.

	Vital
	(Martin Klíma)
	The VITAL project proposes a combination of advanced information and communication technologies that uses a familiar device like the TV as the main vehicle for the delivery of services to elderly users in home environments. Conversely the project use standard mobile phones for applications on the run. The new services offer will depart from traditional assistance schemes in the sense that it is not oriented to satisfying day to day subsistence needs but it considers other important demands that has deserved little attention up to the moment, such as: the need for information, the need for inter-personal communication, the need for personal advice, the need for edutainment, the need to be able to move safely in the physical environment and the need to integrate into the mainstream society.

	Aegis
	(Zdeněk Míkovec)
	The AEGIS project seeks to determine whether 3rd generation access techniques will provide a more accessible, more exploitable and deeply embeddable approach in mainstream ICT (desktop, rich Internet and mobile applications). This approach is developed and explored with the Open Accessibility Framework (OAF) through which aspects of the design, development and deployment of accessible mainstream ICT are addressed.

	CoE SUCESS
	(Pavel Slavík)
	Center of Excellence for Accessibility and Usability is form of cooperation between Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Czech Technical University. It will bring more people to the community oriented to software development and accessibility. The results of the Center research and development will possibly directly affect markets with accessible applications and visually impaired developers. The Center can seed new common projects of Sun and CTU.

	TextAble
	(Adam Sporka)
	The project combines the fields of human–computer interaction and bio-signal processing for research of new methods and user interfaces for text input and editing for use by the motor-impaired people.

Student projects

	Excursional student seminars in Dresden
	(Pavel Slavík)
	University Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden (Fachbereich Mathematik und Informatik) in cooperation with our department has been organizing collective seminars for selected students for many years. These seminars are held annually. Both schools send to the workshops their students from undergraduate and graduate studies. Students have the opportunity to present their best work and exchange information and experience. They can monitor and compare their effort with colleagues from the partner university. They can also come into contact with the latest technologies at the partner university and establish new cooperation.

	Central European Seminar on Computer Graphics
	(Jiří Bittner)
	The main idea of CESCG is to bring undergraduate students who are interested in computer graphics together across the borders of universities and countries. The seminar is also intended to be an international event, where students can present their excellent work to other students. Actively participating students are, therefore, required to have studied computer science (or something similar) for at least five or six semesters. Sufficient expertise in giving a talk as well as reasonable knowledge of the English language is also required for active participation.

	IBM CVUT Student Research Projects
	(Pavel Slavík)
	The program, in which the students work closely with IBM specialists on research projects, started in 2005 and it has been organized twice a year since then. Students are encouraged to work on selected projects. Besides financial awards the students are given a chance to work in close partnership with the experts of the IBM’s Voice Recognition Research Centre in Prague. The topics for student projects are formulated jointly by CVUT and IBM, mostly in the domain of usability, user interface design and voice technologies field. The majority of the projects are term projects integrated to the standard curriculum courses. Some of the projects are also BSc and MSc project. The projects can be solved individually or in teams. Focus is given to the larger team projects with higher impact.

Finished projects

	Augmented Reality in School Environments (ARiSE)
	(Jiří Žára)
	The project aims at integrating an AR teaching platform into the everyday environment of teachers and students, displaying audiovisual and multimedia content in line with the needs identified by education experts and researchers in the relevant areas. Using 3D presentations and userfriendly interaction techniques will lead to a better understanding of scientific and cultural content coupled with high student motivation.

	Enhanced Learning Unlimited (ELU)
	(Pavel Slavík)
	The Enhanced Learning Unlimited (ELU) project intends to develop and validate the use of Interactive Digital TV (iDTV) system for t-learning as one of the key application areas for the societal and economical development of the enlarged Europe.

	Mobile Knowledge Management (MUMMY)
	(Pavel Slavík)
	MUMMY was a project, funded by the European Commission (EC) and the Federal Office for Education and Science (BBW) in Switzerland, to research and develop means to improve the efficiency of mobile business processes through mobile, personalied knowledge management.

	Virtual Heart of Central Europe (VHCE)
	(Jiří Žára)
	The aim of this project was to digitally reconstruct selected significant objects of cultural heritage in four European cities Prague, Bratislava, Maribor and Graz and save them for the future in a public digital archive. The goal was focused on architectural verticals of the cities. Therefore the subtitle of the project was Towers and Wells. The presentation of five historical objects from the city of Prague has been created using several interactive technologies.