[Theory] [Talks at TTIC]TODAY: 5/16 Tomer Weiss, New Jersey Institute of Technology

[Brandie Jones]

*When:    *  Monday, May 16th at *10am CT*

*Where:     via **Zo**om* (register in advance here
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://uchicagogroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_j3GGtkfPQQWNukgx-tV04g&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1652726649450238&usg=AOvVaw2vR4-uMc4gvsH9NRUFWHtk>
)

*Who:        *Tomer Weiss, New Jersey Institute of Technology

*T**itle:         *Virtual Content Synthesis: From Spaces to Multi-Agent
Dynamics

*Abstract*:   Virtual environments are prevalent in multiple applications,
from entertainment, healthcare, simulation, to self-driving cars. In
addition, the demand for virtual experiences is growing exponentially,
projected to reach $46.54 Billion by 2026. Regrettably, current
computational approaches cannot scale with such demand. Bridging this gap
requires seamless large-scale virtual content creation and simulation. In
this talk, I focus on two essential tasks in virtual environments:
computational design of spaces, and the simulation of multi-agent
pedestrian crowds. To address such tasks at scale, I introduce novel
data-driven, interactive optimization approaches. For example, selecting
which table fits stylistically with a chair can be learned from image data
with Deep Learning. Choosing where to place the table can be defined in
terms of positional constraints, e.g. the table should lie at this distance
from the chair. Similar constraints, in conjunction with GPU programming,
allow the simulation of hundreds of thousands of AI agents. Such approach
allows interactive prototyping of large-scale spaces and crowded scenes,
which were previously intractable. Lastly, I conclude my talk by discussing
the wide range of research opportunities in this emerging area.

*Bio:  * Tomer Weiss is an assistant professor with the Department of
Informatics, at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Before that, he was
a research scientist with Wayfair, Boston. In 2018, he defended his PhD
advised by Prof. Terzopoulos at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He received the Best Paper Award from the ACM SIGGRAPH conference on Motion
in Games, for his work on virtual crowd simulation. He was a finalist
presenter in both ACM SIGGRAPH Thesis Fast Forward, and the ACM SIGGRAPH
Asia Doctoral Symposium in 2018. He received his MS in computer science
from UCLA in 2016, and his BSc degree in computer science from Tel Aviv
University in 2013. His research interests include computational spatial
design, collective dynamics, and interactive visual computing.


*Host*: Matthew Turk <mturk at ttic.edu>



*Brandie Jones *
*Administrative Assistant*
Toyota Technological Institute
6045 S. Kenwood Avenue
Chicago, IL  60637
www.ttic.edu
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