Controlling Beauty - Perceptual Representation and Control of Geometric Shape Spaces
Abstract : We consider the problem of representing geometric entities in a perceptual coordinate system. A geometric object (for instance a closed contour or a surface patch) described by a finite number of parameters is mapped onto an arbitrary collection of perceptual coordinates via a psychophysical experiment, resulting in a collection of marginal probability distributions. Vice versa, a set of perceptual coordinates can be mapped onto a probability distribution of parameters, and a pointwise inverse can be constructed by tracing the mode(s) of the density. We use such a map to modify the shape of an object by controlling perceptual characteristics, as opposed to manipulating the geometry directly. We choose to test our hypothesis on a simple one-dimensional experiment to map the shape of eyeglass frames to the perceived character of the person wearing them. We believe that perception-driven geometric manipulation presents vast opportunities in a number of commercial applications of mass-customized design.