Towards a system for the interpretation of moving light displays

Lights is a system for the interpretation of simple moving light displays (MLD) of jointed objects against a stationary background. The displays studied differ from those examined by previous researchers in that 1) objects are represented by a relatively small number of points, 2) objects are not rigid, and 3) the viewing geometry is such that highly varying degrees of perspective distortion occur. An algorithm is presented which segments the points of an MLD of a wire-frame man into body parts. The relationship of this algorithm to previous theories of MLD perception and actual human performance is discussed.