Visual Cognitive Neuroscience

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====== The inaugural meeting of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Awesomeness met on Friday, September 6, 2013 ======


We headed to the Center for Human-Computer Interaction "Black Lab" at the CRC KnowledgeWorks II building to use the OptiTrak motion tracking system.

The OptiTrack is basically a set of infrared cameras that track little reflective balls glued to a pair of empty glasses frames and to a cleverly-designed bunch of tongue depressors.  You might be able to make out some of the cameras above Stephanie in this photo.

{{:optitrak1.jpg?direct&200|}}

The ability to walk a path with one's eyes closed is called "path integration."  We played "path integration pictionary" by closing our eyes and trying to walk out paths that looked like randomly-selected items.  The OptiTrak captured our motion paths.  

Here's a video of Adon's turn:

[[https://www.dropbox.com/s/ib1oupa00m4njpk/2013-09-06%2020.01.59.mp4|Adon walking]]



===== Guess the picture =====

So far Riley is winning, from her masterful performance of "bird."  Adon gets credit for guessing it.

Here are the bird's eye view plots of some of the other entries:

Riley's winning entry:

{{:riley_pictionary.png?direct&300|}}


Adon's entry (the plot is set up so that the bottom corresponds to where Adon started walking)


{{:adon_pictionary.png?direct&300|}}

//(Anthony's guess: a pretty flower)//

//(James claimed that he was going to guess a balloon, which is the right answer, but no points)//

Stephanie's intriguing entry:

{{:stephanie_pictionary.png?direct&300|}}

//(Anthony's guess: a bunny head; or: a biting dinosaur, rotated 45°)//

//Stephanie says: You are right! My word was rabbit so I drew a bunny head. :)//

Anthony's mangled entry:

{{:anthony_pictionary.png?direct&300|}}

//(Anthony says: sorry, this doesn't look remotely like what I would have drawn with my hands.  Curse you, parietal lobe!)//

//Stephanie guesses: Donut?//

//(Anthony says: that is a great guess, but unfortunately I had no idea that I was walking in a donut-shaped path)//

//(The answer is: a drum.//  

//Other guesses were: Africa, a toilet seat, a TV, a tunnel).//