About Course

Organizers Description Learning Objectives Unique Features of this Program Schedule Staff Apply

High-Speed Imaging for Motion Analysis: Systems and Techniques [6.51s]

Click here for email updates - stay informed about PI course availability and registration dates.

Date: June 16-19, 2008 | Tuition: $1,950 | Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 2.5

Updates
* Course schedule, registration times, special events

Organizers

Dr. James W. Bales, Instructor, Edgerton Center
Mr. Don Thomas, Industry Advisory Committee, Edgerton Center
Ms. Sandi Lipnoski, Edgerton Center
Prof. J. Kim Vandiver, Director, Edgerton Center

Description

This program is designed for scientists, engineers, and photographers who need to gather data on rapidly moving subjects and events for study, motion analysis, and trouble-shooting. Mornings are spent in the lecture hall learning the fundamentals for lighting, imaging technologies, and motion analysis. Afternoons are spent making high-speed images in the laboratory. In addition to carrying out the standard techniques, attendees will try out the latest in high-speed-imaging equipment, with the manufacturer's representatives there to provide hands-on education and experience with the systems. The course is held at the Edgerton Center at MIT - the home of Doc Edgerton's Stroboscopic Light Laboratory, where much of the history of the field was written.

With support from the leading manufacturers and consultants, this program features the broadest experience available anywhere in the fields of high-speed film and high-speed electronic imaging capture and analysis. Of particular interest is the latest trend of merging high-speed electronic images and instrumentation data for in-depth analysis of mechanical events.

The scope of the program should make it invaluable to anyone who wishes to broaden their capabilities in the field of high-speed imaging.

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to define the fundamental principals of high-speed photography and videography, both for human interpretation and for motion analysis with a computer.
• Students will be able to make the trade-offs between cost, depth-of-field, field-of-view, resolution, and lighting requirements to select the appropriate lens(es) to ensure that clear, crisp, images are obtained of the event under study.
• Students will be able to select the correct lighting technologies, and design the lighting arrangements for an experiment, including the selection of lights, their beam-pattern, and intensities, as well as specifying their locations to provide sufficient light on the subject to obtain well-exposed images of the process under study with minimal loss of information due to shadowing or over-exposure.
• Students will be able to analyze the resulting images to get a real world understanding of how a specific technology may apply to an application.
• Students will be able to assess methods of merging high-speed electronic images and instrumentation data for in-depth analysis of mechanical events.

Unique Features of This Program

Hands-On Experience: The course emphasizes hands-on experience! Approximately 50% of our time is devoted to intensively immersing each attendee in practical laboratory work. Lectures by experts in their fields and study materials help attendees prepare for the laboratory work by providing the requisite theoretical and practical insights.

Use the Techniques You Study: All attendees participate in lab experiments selected from an unparalleled variety of topics. Experiments include high-speed cameras (real-time through ultra-high speed), Lenses and lighting, the latest imaging technologies, as well as specialized techniques such as Schlieren, streak, and pulsed laser illumination.

Learn the Details By Doing Experiments: Experiments are performed in small working groups, with experts in that technique on hand to answer questions and enter into extensive discussions. The lab experiences are structured to encourage students to use their imaginations and to experiment with the technique under study. Attendees may bring with them work-related problems that make suitable experimental subjects, to be shared with the class, but please consult with the Course Staff in advance.

Real-Time Results: The instant availability of electronic and video images permits rapid assessment of results. Participants will be able to quickly review their lab results to get a real world understanding of how a specific technology may apply to their application. In addition, attendees will leave the course with the tangible results of their work in hand.

MIT Edgerton Center: Supported by MIT and the Harold E. Edgerton and Esther M. Edgerton Family Foundation, the Edgerton Center was created in 1992 to carry on the legacy of the late Professor Edgerton. Its three-fold mission is to be a center of excellence in scientific imaging within MIT, to provide students at MIT with opportunities for hands-on learning, and to continue Doc's legacy of communicating the importance and excitement of science and technology to the larger community.

To view pictures from the 2007 course, please visit: http://web.mit.edu/Edgerton/6.51s/2007/.

If you click on the thumbnail it will load the full-sized image
(several megabytes each).

Course schedule and registration times

Class runs 9:00 am - 5:15 pm every day except Thursday when it ends
at 9:00 pm.

Registration is on Monday morning from 7:45 - 8:45 am.

Special events include a dinner and presentation for course participants and faculty on Thursday evening.

Participants are encouraged to present their own high-speed imaging and motion-analysis applications to the course. The staff will, where practical, use these applications to illustrate the advantages and drawbacks of the techniques being taught.

Mornings are spent in the lecture hall learning the fundamentals, while afternoons are spent in the laboratory. In addition to carrying out the standard techniques, attendees will try out the latest in high-speed-imaging equipment, with the manufacturer's representatives there to provide hands-on education and experience with the systems. There will be a dinner on Thursday evening where course participants will present their projects.

The course will cover the following topics:

Introduction to High-Speed Photography and Videography: Fundamentals of exposure, lighting and lenses. Overview of the various methods we will cover, with particular emphasis on the pros and cons of the various methods (e.g., film vs. video).

Lighting for High-Speed Imaging: Detailed descriptions of lighting options. Discussion of advantages and disadvantages of continuous and intermittent lighting with film and with video. Presentation of advanced lighting techniques.

State of the Art in High-Speed Imaging: In-depth discussion of current products in film and video systems. Topics include gated imaging, image intensifiers for low-light applications, high-speed video (color and black and white), imaging for machine vision applications, and evaluating cost-performance tradeoffs.

Data Analysis: Introduction to the analysis of high-speed film and electronic images. Also, the latest trends in integrating high-speed imaging with electronic data acquisition systems. Discussion of commercial motion analysis packages.

Staff

Dr. James W. Bales, Instructor and Assistant Director, Edgerton Center; Mr. Tony Caloggero, Technical Instructor, Edgerton Center; Mr. Don Thomas, Industry Advisory Committee, Edgerton Center; Prof. J. Kim Vandiver, Director, Edgerton Center. Additional lectures and laboratory experiences will be presented by experts from the high-speed imaging industry.