Human Motion Analysis for Serious Applications

With the advancement of motion sensing technology such as depth cameras (e.g. the Microsoft Kinect) and motion capture systems, it is expect that motion-related research will play an even more important role in the future. Understanding human motion is a central key for different types of application including computer animations and games (e.g. character animation, motion-based gaming), motion evaluation (e.g. security monitoring, sport player performance analysis) and medical engineering (e.g. movement disorder diagnosis, Parkinson’s disease modelling). As a result, improvement in motion analysis with better accuracy and performance can benefits a wide area of research. This project aims at proposing a new algorithm to analyze human motion by taking advantage of the recent hardware advancement, and demonstrate its effectiveness in one or more of the mentioned application domains.

We are offering a funded PhD position to support one PhD for 3 years of study. He/she will be supervised by Dr. Hubert P. H. Shum on the project throughout the study, and is expected to receive a PhD degree from the Northumbria University in Newcastle when the study is finished. The student may utilize the Motion Capture and Virtual Reality Laboratory managed by Dr. Shum, which consists of more than £60,000 worth of equipment, including a 20 camera optical motion capture system, a 12 sensor wireless magnetic motion capture system, as well as various virtual reality equipment such as head-mounted displays and 3D scanners. Enquiries regarding this studentship should be directed to Dr. Shum, email [Email Address Removed]. More information about Dr. Shum’s previous research projects can be found here: http://info.hubertshum.com

Applicant should either have a 1st honor undergraduate or a good master degree from a UK higher education institution, or equivalent. Students who are not UK/EU residents are eligible to apply, provided they hold the relevant academic qualifications, together with an IELTS score of at least 6.5. It would be preferable if the applicant has background on one or more of the following areas:

- Programming (e.g. C++, C#, Java, etc.)
- Computer Graphics (e.g. 3D polygon modelling, 3d geometry, etc)
- Human Motion Analysis (motion detection/comparison, character animation, etc.)
- Human Computer Interaction (e.g. Kinect, motion capture, etc.)
- Image Processing (e.g. Facial image analysis, computer vision, etc.)
- Other research related skills

You should apply using the University’s Research Application Form, available via the link on this page. Applications should be submitted to Karen Vacher, Senior Research Administrator, via email to: [Email Address Removed]