Visual computing is the branch of computer science concerned with acquiring, analyzing, processing, and synthesizing visual data. Visual data, for example, observed through the human eye, is a fundamental aspect of everyday life. Consequently, in the age of artificial intelligence, visual understanding is essential for computers to interact with the real-world environment. One core task in visual computing consists of converting raw and noisy sensor data, e.g., from cameras or 3D laser scanners, into a clean digital scene representation. This challenging task requires advanced algorithms from a multitude of disciplines, including computer vision, pattern recognition, digital geometry processing, and image analysis and processing. Generating visual data is another core area, including for instance synthetization and visualization of virtual worlds with computer graphics techniques. Another example are ergonomic visual user interfaces, which make human-computer interaction an integral part of visual computing.
The courses of this track teach theoretical foundations and practical aspects related to visual computing. Students have the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge in various visual computing disciplines, including computer vision, pattern recognition, 3D geometry processing, image analysis and processing, human-computer interaction, computer graphics, and games. Moreover, the track exposes students to widely applicable foundation courses, such as applied optimization or deep learning, which are not only essential for visual computing but also offer valuable tools for various domains of modern computer science and engineering.