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Microsoft Research Lab – Asia

2017 Microsoft Research Asia collaborative research projects announced

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Collaborative Research program

Through the Collaborative Research program, Winston Hsu (left), professor from National Taiwan University, together with Xing Xie (not pictured), MSRA senior researcher, co-supervised Yin-Hsi Kuo (right), a PhD student from National Taiwan University who proposed a new method on mobile visual search and published the result on IEEE TCSVT, 2016.

The collaborative research program is a vital platform for research scientists and university professors to work together on advanced technologies with Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) researchers. This year, the Microsoft Research Asia Outreach team is excited to welcome a total of 48 professors from 26 universities in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Korea to our program, where they will join forces with MSRA researchers to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.

The program has been designed specifically to:

  • facilitate close collaboration between professors and MSRA researchers,
  • reflect the research interest and priority of the researchers, and
  • facilitate active engagement of our partner professors.

The goal of the collaborative research program is to enable open collaboration through advanced open-source tools and development platforms from Microsoft.

As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put it, “Now is the time for greater coordination and collaboration in AI.” More than 90% of the selected projects in 2017 are on AI and AI-related areas, including machine learning, integrative intelligence, visual description, deep neural networks, and so on. Through the collaborative research program, professors are working together with our researchers on fundamental AI technologies (e.g., in the form of human-parity cognitive capabilities) and driving breakthroughs in the application of AI technologies. Tao Mei, senior researcher from MSRA, will once again join forces with Kyoung-Mu, professor from Seoul National University on “Deep Multi-scale Convolutional Neural Network for Dynamic Scene Deblurring.” Zhiyuan Liu, associate professor from Tsinghua University, will explore new ideas on “Neural Text Generation of Human-Level News Articles,” together with Ming Zhou, principal researcher of MSRA.

Over the years, this program has had profound impacts on academic research in the region. As one indication of influence, more than 300 publications in top-tier international journals and conferences have acknowledged the program and the support from MSRA.

MSRA is committed to the collaborative research program over the long haul. We are also committed to the mission of facilitating the exchange of ideas and research results, collaborations, and talent cultivation through such programs. Together, we will make significant impacts on the society through technology.

2017 projects and participants

Attractiveness-aware Image Enrichment using Deep Neural Networks
Toshihiko Yamasaki, The University of Tokyo

Autonomous Vision Task Fulfilling with Multi-agent Policy Learning
Yizhou Wang, Peking University

A Deep Learning-based Zero-training BCI System for People with Physical Challenges
Seong-Whan Lee, Korea University

Automatic Mental Disorder Prediction through Joint Deep Analysis of Visual, Vocal, and Textual Data
Di Huang, Peking University

Capture of Mechanical Functionality with an RGBD Camera
Tianjia Shao, Zhejiang University

Colla, a Chatbot, Empowers Communication and Collaboration among Members in Communities
Lei Chen, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Complementing Kinect in Underwater Environments:  Passive Stereo for 3D Sensing using Infrared Light Absorption
Yinqiang Zheng, National Institute of Informatics

Computer-aided Diagnosis for Breast Sonography on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services
Pai-Chi Li, National Taiwan University

Deep Multi-scale Convolutional Neural Network for Dynamic Scene Deblurring
Kyoung-Mu Lee, Seoul National University

Development of Distributed Alignment Algorithm for Next-generation Sequencing Data
Lipin Wei, Peking University

Develop Technologies and Design Principles to Enable Robots to Engage Naturally in Human Society
Junsong Yuan, Nanyang Technological University

Distributed Stochastic Learning of Nonconvex Learning Models
James Kwok, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Digital Longmen Project: Interactive AR Exhibition with Archaeology-inspired Restoration
Hongbin Zha, Peking University

Dense and Accurate 3D Mapping System for Mobile Robot with Laser Range Sensors
Takeshi Oishi, The University of Tokyo

Developing a Cloud Service to Handle Initial Interactions between Human and Service Robot
Masayuki Inaba, The University of Tokyo

Development of the Autonomous Flight Technique of a Drone for Transportation of Objects using a Manipulator-equipped Drone and Object Recognition
JinBae Park, Yonsei University

Efficient Symbolic Analysis of Complex Numerically Intensive Program
Lei Bu, Nanjing University

Efficient Cloud-based Urban Data Management/Analytic Platform
Bin Yao, Shanghai Jiaotong University

Efficient Deep Learning Algorithms for Human Language Big Data
Andrew Liu, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Efficient Query Processing over Knowledge Graphs
Zhaonian Zou, Harbin Institute of Technology

Global Land Cover Mapping based on Visual Descriptors
Yuqi Bai, Tsinghua University

Games2Lang: Semantic Grounding of Games, Statistics, and Languages
Seung-Won Hwang, Yonsei University

Holo-Heritage: Dunhuang Cultural Heritage Conservation Research and Development based on Microsoft HoloLens
Jiawan Zhang, Tianjin University

Human Stampede Analysis and Prevention
Xuejin Chen, University of Science and Technology of China

Inter-network Traffic Flow Control in Urban Area based on Reinforcement Learning
Hwasoo Yeo, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Large-Scale 5D Semantic Mapping of Traffic Scene for Autonomous Driving
Jianru Xue, Xi’an Jiaotong University

Machine Learning for Urban Computing
Yu-Feng Li, Nanjing University

Multi-Task Joint Deep Learning for Multi-Scale Part-Aware Pedestrian Semantic Analysis
Xi Li, Zhejiang University

Multi-cue Joint Representation and Discriminative Learning for Object Tracking in Camera Intelligence
Feng Jiang, Harbin Institute of Technology

Modeling Chinese-accented Non-native English Speech for Mispronunciation Detection and Diagnosis
Helen Meng, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Neural Text Generation of Human-Level News Articles
Zhiyuan Liu, Tsinghua University

Netizen-Style Commenting for Fashion Photos: Autonomous, Diverse, and Cognitive
Winston Hsu, National Taiwan University

Poetizing by Playing
Yingqing Xu, Tsinghua University

Personalizable Learning Algorithm for Gesture Interface
Sangyoun Lee, Yonsei University

Quantum Artificial Intelligence
Zheng-Jun Zha, University of Science and Technology of China

Remote Health and Medical Aide via Skeleton Action Forecast and Detection
Jiaying Liu, Peking University

Recognizing Phrasal Entailments using Image Groundings
Pascual Martinez Gomez/Dan Han, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Read, Look, and Say: Question-oriented Multi-scale Attention Network
Hyeran Byun, Yonsei University

Residual Neural Network Architecture Optimization through Submodularity and Supermodularity
Changshui Zhang, Tsinghua University

Sentiment-aware Utterance Generation for Conversation Systems
Yuki Arase, Osaka University

Sentence Generation based on Integration of Various Observations
Koichiro Yoshino, Nara Institute of Science and Technology

Tackling IoT Visibility and Interoperability Issues through Protocol Behavior Analysis
Dongsu Han, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Treatment of Alcohol Dependence using Neurofeedback and Chat Bot
Jing LI, University of Science and Technology of China

Understanding and Optimization of Cloud Resource Utilization on Dynamic Resources
Bingsheng He, National University of Singapore

Visual Description
Changsheng Xu, Chinese Academy of Science Institute of Automation

WheelLoc: Centimeter-Level Localization for Vehicles
Linghe Kong, Shanghai Jiaotong University

Wireless Power Transmission for Wearable Electronics
Yoshihiko Kawahara, The University of Tokyo