In this paper, we propose efficient content‐based image retrieval methods using the automatic extraction of the low‐level visual features as image content. Two new feature extraction methods are presented. The first one is an advanced color feature extraction derived from the modification of Stricker's method. The second one is a texture feature extraction using some DCT coefficients which represent some dominant directions and gray level variations of the image. In the experiment with an image database of 200 natural images, the proposed methods show higher performance than other methods. They can be combined into an efficient hierarchical retrieval method.

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Many fine art pieces have been reproduced in digital form. The digital reproductions have been used to store and transmit the original work. In contrast, mobiles, or moving sculptures, such as those designed by Alexander Calder cannot be reproduced realistically by photographs and/or static images. The real characteristics of mobiles come from the motions generated by interactive external forces applied to their structures. Hence people could not fully enjoy them through static images or even static three-dimensional models. We present a virtual mobile system where users can easily control the mobile and can feel the impressions that the artist originally intended to provide. Virtual winds are generated by blowing on a microphone which then exert external forces to the mobile. This microphone interface lets users control the mobile while they are watching it through a monitor. We introduce a linear time solution for the constraint dynamics and an improved impulse dynamics to speed up the simulation. Using these techniques, we achieve a realtime simulation of the mobile on personal computers. The techniques presented can easily be extended to simulate other interactive dynamics systems.

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In interactive environments including computer games and virtual reality applications, we have increased need for interactive control of articulated body motions.Recently, physically based methods including constrained dynamics techniques are introduced to this area, in order to produce more realistic animation sequences. However, they are hard to achieve real-time control of articulated bodies, due to their heavy computations. In this paper, we present a procedural method for interactive animation of articulated bodies. In our method, each object of the constrained body is first moved according to their physical properties and external forces, without considering any constraints. Then, the locations of objects are adjusted to satisfy given constraints. Through adapting this two-stage approach, we have avoided the solving of large linear systems of equations, to finally achieve the interactive animation of articulated bodies. We also present a few example sequences of animations, which are interactively generated on PC platforms. This method can be easily applied to character animations in virtual environments.