Siyu Liu will present his MSE thesis talk on Friday May 3 at 3PM in Room 301 (note room!). The members of his committee are: Szymon Rusinkiewicz, advisor and Tom Funkhouser, reader. Everyone is invited to attend his talk. His abstract follows below. ------------------- Localization Using Feature Matching in Near-Random Textures Precise vehicle localization, whether performed via visual scene registration or specialized sensors such as GPS, is currently limited in robustness and accuracy. We propose a computer vision-based localization system that improves precision by matching features in small patches of asphalt or carpet imaged with a downward-facing camera. The key insight is that such images will have enough near-random detail to retrieve their correct positions in the original environment. In our system, the environment is first processed to construct a knowledge base. Then during the retrieval phase, we apply multilevel search to precisely localize the observed patch in the known environment. We adjust the patch registration algorithms previously developed for natural scenes to focus on ground environments with near-random textures. Our system is marker-free and robust against orientation as well as illumination changes. By combining temporal coherence with classification techniques, we can instantaneously provide accurate localization predictions. We also envision potential applications in navigation systems and precise control for 3D fabrication.