Interactive 3D digitization, retrieval, and analysis of ancient sculptures, using infrared depth sensors for mobile devices

Abstract

In this paper a novel framework is presented for interactive feature-based retrieval and visualization of human statues, using depth sensors for mobile devices. A skeletal model is fitted to the depth image of a statue or human body in general and is used as a feature vector that captures the pose variations in a given collection of skeleton data. A scale-and twist-invariant distance function is defined in the feature space and is employed in a topology-preserving low-dimensional lattice mapping framework. The user can interact with this self-organizing map by submitting queries in the form of a skeleton from a statue or a human body. The proposed methods are demonstrated in a real dataset of 3D digitized Graeco-Roman statues from Palazzo Altemps.