Geometric Algebra Applications Vol I

The goal of the Volume I Geometric Algebra for Computer Vision, Graphics and Neural Computing is to present a unified mathematical treatment of diverse problems in the general domain of artificial intelligence and associated fields using Clifford, or geometric, algebra. Geometric algebra provides a rich and general mathematical framework for Geometric Cybernetics in order to develop solutions, concepts and computer algorithms without losing geometric insight of the problem in question. Current mathematical subjects can be treated in an unified manner without abandoning the mathematical system of geometric algebra for instance: multilinear algebra, projective and affine geometry, calculus on manifolds, Riemann geometry, the representation of Lie algebras and Lie groups using bivector algebras and conformal geometry. By treating a wide spectrum of problems in a common language, this Volume I offers both new insights and new solutions that should be useful to scientists, and engineers working in different areas related with the development and building of intelligent machines. Each chapter is written in accessible terms accompanied by numerous examples, figures and a complementary appendix on Clifford algebras, all to clarify the theory and the crucial aspects of the application of geometric algebra to problems in graphics engineering, image processing, pattern recognition, computer vision, machine learning, neural computing and cognitive systems.

This book presents a unified mathematical treatment of diverse problems in the general domain of robotics and associated fields using Clifford or geometric alge- bra. By addressing a wide spectrum of problems in a common language, it offers both fresh insights and new solutions that are useful to scientists and engineers working in areas related with robotics. It introduces non-specialists to Clifford and geometric algebra, and provides ex- amples to help readers learn how to compute using geometric entities and geomet- ric formulations. It also includes an in-depth study of applications of Lie group theory, Lie algebra, spinors and versors and the algebra of incidence using the universal geometric algebra generated by reciprocal null cones. Featuring a detailed study of kinematics, differential kinematics and dynamics using geometric algebra, the book also develops Euler Lagrange and Hamiltoni- ans equations for dynamics using conformal geometric algebra, and the recursive Newton-Euler using screw theory in the motor algebra framework. Further, it comprehensively explores robot modeling and nonlinear controllers, and discusses several applications in computer vision, graphics, neurocomputing, quantum com- puting, robotics and control engineering using the geometric algebra framework. The book also includes over 200 exercises and tips for the development of future computer software packages for extensive calculations in geometric algebra, and a entire section focusing on how to write the subroutines in C++, Matlab and Maple to carry out efficient geometric computations in the geometric algebra framework. Lastly, it shows how program code can be optimized for real-time computations. An essential resource for applied physicists, computer scientists, AI researchers, roboticists and mechanical and electrical engineers, the book clarifies and demon- strates the importance of geometric computing for building autonomous systems to advance cognitive systems research.

"The goal of the Volume I Geometric Algebra for Computer Vision, Graphics and Neural Computing is to present a unified mathematical treatment of diverse problems in the general domain of artificial intelligence and associated fields using Clifford, or geometric, algebra. Geometric algebra provides a rich and general mathematical framework for Geometric Cybernetics in order to develop solutions, concepts and computer algorithms without losing geometric insight of the problem in question. Current mathematical subjects can be treated in an unified manner without abandoning the mathematical system of geometric algebra for instance: multilinear algebra, projective and affine geometry, calculus on manifolds, Riemann geometry, the representation of Lie algebras and Lie groups using bivector algebras and conformal geometry. By treating a wide spectrum of problems in a common language, this Volume I offers both new insights and new solutions that should be useful to scientists, and engineers working in different areas related with the development and building of intelligent machines. Each chapter is written in accessible terms accompanied by numerous examples, figures and a complementary appendix on Clifford algebras, all to clarify the theory and the crucial aspects of the application of geometric algebra to problems in graphics engineering, image processing, pattern recognition, computer vision, machine learning, neural computing and cognitive systems"--Publisher's description.

This volume is an outgrowth of the 1995 Summer School on Theoretical Physics of the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP), held in Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rockies, from July 30 to August 12,1995. The chapters, based on lectures given at the School, are designed to be tutorial in nature, and many include exercises to assist the learning process. Most lecturers gave three or four fifty-minute lectures aimed at relative novices in the field. More emphasis is therefore placed on pedagogy and establishing comprehension than on erudition and superior scholarship. Of course, new and exciting results are presented in applications of Clifford algebras, but in a coherent and user-friendly way to the nonspecialist. The subject area of the volume is Clifford algebra and its applications. Through the geometric language of the Clifford-algebra approach, many concepts in physics are clarified, united, and extended in new and sometimes surprising directions. In particular, the approach eliminates the formal gaps that traditionally separate clas sical, quantum, and relativistic physics. It thereby makes the study of physics more efficient and the research more penetrating, and it suggests resolutions to a major physics problem of the twentieth century, namely how to unite quantum theory and gravity. The term "geometric algebra" was used by Clifford himself, and David Hestenes has suggested its use in order to emphasize its wide applicability, and b& cause the developments by Clifford were themselves based heavily on previous work by Grassmann, Hamilton, Rodrigues, Gauss, and others.

Geometric algebra has established itself as a powerful and valuable mathematical tool for solving problems in computer science, engineering, physics, and mathematics. The articles in this volume, written by experts in various fields, reflect an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, and highlight a range of techniques and applications. Relevant ideas are introduced in a self-contained manner and only a knowledge of linear algebra and calculus is assumed. Features and Topics: * The mathematical foundations of geometric algebra are explored * Applications in computational geometry include models of reflection and ray-tracing and a new and concise characterization of the crystallographic groups * Applications in engineering include robotics, image geometry, control-pose estimation, inverse kinematics and dynamics, control and visual navigation * Applications in physics include rigid-body dynamics, elasticity, and electromagnetism * Chapters dedicated to quantum information theory dealing with multi- particle entanglement, MRI, and relativistic generalizations Practitioners, professionals, and researchers working in computer science, engineering, physics, and mathematics will find a wide range of useful applications in this state-of-the-art survey and reference book. Additionally, advanced graduate students interested in geometric algebra will find the most current applications and methods discussed.

The application of geometric algebra to the engineering sciences is a young, active subject of research. The promise of this field is that the mathematical structure of geometric algebra together with its descriptive power will result in intuitive and more robust algorithms. This book examines all aspects essential for a successful application of geometric algebra: the theoretical foundations, the representation of geometric constraints, and the numerical estimation from uncertain data. Formally, the book consists of two parts: theoretical foundations and applications. The first part includes chapters on random variables in geometric algebra, linear estimation methods that incorporate the uncertainty of algebraic elements, and the representation of geometry in Euclidean, projective, conformal and conic space. The second part is dedicated to applications of geometric algebra, which include uncertain geometry and transformations, a generalized camera model, and pose estimation. Graduate students, scientists, researchers and practitioners will benefit from this book. The examples given in the text are mostly recent research results, so practitioners can see how to apply geometric algebra to real tasks, while researchers note starting points for future investigations. Students will profit from the detailed introduction to geometric algebra, while the text is supported by the author's visualization software, CLUCalc, freely available online, and a website that includes downloadable exercises, slides and tutorials.

This volume offers a comprehensive approach to the theoretical, applied and symbolic computational aspects of the subject. Excellent for self-study, leading experts in the field have written on the of topics mentioned above, using an easy approach with efficient geometric language for non-specialists.

This monograph-like anthology introduces the concepts and framework of Clifford algebra. It provides a rich source of examples of how to work with this formalism. Clifford or geometric algebra shows strong unifying aspects and turned out in the 1960s to be a most adequate formalism for describing different geometry-related algebraic systems as specializations of one "mother algebra" in various subfields of physics and engineering. Recent work shows that Clifford algebra provides a universal and powerful algebraic framework for an elegant and coherent representation of various problems occurring in computer science, signal processing, neural computing, image processing, pattern recognition, computer vision, and robotics.