Vision and Mobile Robotics (VMR) Laboratory

Information about lab resources, policies, and procedures.

Lab Overview

The VMR Lab is both a group of people and a physical location (Newell-Simon Hall, Room A401). The physical lab houses the group's file server, the computing cluster, and a number of sensors. We also share the space with Takeo, who occupies the back left corner of the room. Please do not go into or borrow equipment from Takeo's section of the lab.

General Information

• Lab policies - Anyone working in the lab should read and follow our lab policies. They basically amount to "be considerate of others."
• Keys - If you are a member of the lab and do not have a key to the lab, then you can obtain one by requesting from Daniel or Martial. Jim Skees will issue the key, and you will need to send him an email with your faculty/student ID number.
• Lab mailing list - The lab has a mailing list (hebert-lab@cs.cmu.edu). Lab members can add themselves to and remove themselves from this list using the instructions at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~help/mail_news/mailman/index.html.
• Reading group - The group hosts a weekly reading group, known as the Misc Reading Group. The reading group topics focus on Computer Vision, and each week we read and discuss one or a couple of recent papers.

Computing

The lab houses a variety of computing equipment:

• File server - The file server has 6 TB of storage, all of which is backed up regularly. It is located in the rack of computers in the lab. There is a list of disk partition allocations for the file server.
• Compute nodes - A number of computers serve as an informal cluster for general purpose computing. Each compute node has one or more partitions for temporary files (e.g., /tmp1, /tmp2, etc.). These partitions are NOT backed up. Most of these machines are located in the computer rack. They can be accessed remotely using SSH or from the KVM workstation. There is a full list of lab machines and their characteristics.
• Special purpose machines - A number of older machines are dedicated for special purposes, such as maintaining older operating systems for running older software. Most of these machines are located in the computer rack.
• Windows machines - There is one windows desktop (cosmo) for people who need a windows machine. The files on cosmo are NOT backed up, though.
• Workstations - Several linux machines are set up around the lab for use as workstations by lab members.
• KVM workstation - The machines in the rack can be accessed remotely using SSH or from the workstation located near the rack. This workstation is connected to a KVM. The different computers can be accessed by pressing control twice and then selecting the appropriate computer from the KVM menu.

Additional useful information about the computing environment:

• NFS file server - The lab disk partitions (including file server and temp partitions on the compute nodes) can all be accessed using NFS. The partitions will appear under the directory /IUS. The partitions are automounted, which means they automatically appear when you request them. This also means that they may not appear if you just do an "ls" in the /IUS directory.
• Disk partition allocations - Lists the partitions on the file server and other machines and documents how they are allocated to lab members or projects [details on the wiki].
• Disk space - Anyone in the lab can request disk space on the file server. The disk space is managed using quotas to ensure fairness. Send email to Daniel (dhuber@cs.cmu.edu) to request space or changes in quota limits.
• Machine information - Lists the characteristics of each lab machine, such as processor speed, operating system, hard drive sizes, and amount of memory [details on the wiki].
• Lab project directory - The lab has project space in afs under the pathname /afs/cs/project/vmr. This is the "lab project directory."
• Samba - The files on the server can be accessed from Windows machines using Samba [quick start instructions].
• Wiki - The lab hosts some pages on the VASC wiki for information that changes frequently [wiki front page].
• Online proceedings and tutorials - The full proceedings for conferences that lab members have attended are stored in the lab directory under "proceedings." Similarly, tutorials of interest to lab members are stored under "tutorials."
• Lab machine names - It was common, in the early days of the Internet, to name groups of machines with a theme. Our lab, for the most part, uses Scottish Islands as the theme. [suggested host names]

Sensors

Our lab has several sensors that can be used by lab members. Each sensor is managed by a lab member. Anyone interested in using one of the sensors should contact the person managing the sensor for training and coordination with other sensor users.

• Leica Scanstation 2 - A long-range pulsed time of flight (PTOF) laser scanner.
• Zoller and Frolich Imager 5003 - A long-range amplitude modulated continuous waveform (AMCW) laser scanner.
• Zoller and Frolich 1st generation - An older, long-range AMCW laser scanner.
• SICK laser cart - Two long range laser scanners mounted on panning or tilting heads and mounted on a cart.
• Minolta Vivid 910 - A short-range triangulation-based laser scanner.
• Leica theodolite - A device for surveying.
• Handheld laser rangefinder - A device for manually measuring individual distances.

Lab Software

The file server hosts some common free software packages, which can be used by the lab members. The files are located in the lab project directory under software.

• rtop - A set of shell scripts that provide a quick summary of the load on the cluster computers.
• boost - Boost is a set of peer-reviewed C++ libraries. The package contains many useful classes for things like smart pointers, portable filename manipulation, multi-dimensional arrays, serialization, signals, and much more.
• OpenCV - The open source computer vision toolbox.
• Matlab Camera Calibration Toolbox - A matlab toolbox for calibrating cameras.
• git - A very flexible source code version control system.
• ffmpeg - A package for audio and video recording, conversion, and streaming.

Our lab has also purchased a number of software packages. Most of these packages require a license or hardware key to operate.

• Amira - A program for visualizing and animating 3D scenes. Installed on the Windows computer named cosmo. Requires a license. [web site | datasheet | manual | quick start guide]
• 3D Studio Max - A computer graphics modeling package. Requires a license.
• Polyworks - A general-purpose 3D data editing and reverse engineering package. Requires a hardware key. Contact Daniel (dhuber@cs.cmu.edu) for access.
• Leica Cyclone - Point cloud editing and reverse engineering software specialized for the Leica Scanstation 2 scanner. Installed on the Windows laptop named jura. Requires a license.
• Light Form Modeler - Point cloud editing and reverse engineering software specialized for the Zoller and Frolich Imager 5003 scanner. Installed on the Windows computer named jura. Requires a hardware key. Contact Daniel (dhuber@cs.cmu.edu) for access.
• Polygon Editing Tool - Point cloud editing and reverse engineering software specialized for the Minolta Vivid 910 scanner. Installed on the Windows computer named jura. Requires a hardware key. Contact Daniel (dhuber@cs.cmu.edu) for access.

Forms and Benefits

• In case of accident - If you are injured in the lab, contact your supervisor/advisor. If you need medical assistance, contact the campus police at 412-268-2323. [details]
• Travel reimbursement form - For travel expenses. [pdf]
• Purchase reimbursement form - For non-travel expenses. [pdf].
• Tax exemption form - If you purchase something for the lab, you will need a copy of this form to claim tax-exempt status. CMU will not reimburse for the taxes. [pdf]

System Administration

This information is mainly useful for system administrators in the lab. You know who you are.

• System administration instructions - Instructions for various administrative tasks.
• Lab machine modifications - A list of modifications that are made to lab machines to make them work in the VASC environment.