Current location:business >>
Feature: AI system developed by students helps missing children return home
business19331People have gathered around
Introduction(Xinhua) 10:13, December 07, 2023BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Artificial intelligence (AI) technology ...
BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been applied in many fields, and it is now playing an increasingly important role in issues of public interest.
A group of students at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in central China's Hubei Province has developed an AI system that restores old photographs to help families find their loved ones, who had gone missing 10 to 20 years ago.
For the last three years, the volunteer team of students from HUST has been providing technological support to many desperate parents looking for their children by restoring over 1,000 photos, and it has reunited 11 missing children with their families.
The team's AI technology has increased the odds of finding missing children, reduced search times and brought hope to many families, said Zhang Baoyan, founder of baobeihuijia.com, a major non-profit organization that searches for people who have lost contact with their families.
The team was founded by Sheng Jianzhong three years ago, when he was a doctoral student at HUST's School of Software Engineering.
He first thought to restore photographs of missing children when he came across a missing child notice with a poor-quality image in 2020. As he was majoring in digital image processing, he decided to use his skills to help the parents restore their images.
But the development of an image restoration algorithm requires the construction of a large database, which cannot be completed by one person alone. Many like-minded students soon volunteered to join Sheng's project, writing code and testing algorithms.
After six months of intensive technological research and development, they produced an image restoration AI algorithm that solved the issue of unclear faces in photographs.
A restored image can be generated just minutes after a blurry portrait is entered into the system, significantly improving resolution and the clarity of facial features. Parents are then able to print the high-quality images of their missing children onto T-shirts or large posters.
In December 2021, father Sun Haiyang was finally reunited with his abducted son after 14 years of searching. The case had become a media sensation after a movie based on the story was released in 2014. Sheng's team contributed to efforts to find the boy, and Sun expressed his gratitude to them when they met.
The team maintains close relations with public security organs and non-profit organizations. In many cases, they don't have direct contact with the families, and sometimes they don't even know about their involvement. "But we still feel fulfilled, and we are happy for them," said Zhang Shaoyun, a member of the team.
The volunteers have also made tapes and postcards using the restored photos to expand the scale of searches.
"We have created a small community where families can share information, send messages and comfort each other," Sheng said.
He has also been exploring AI application in other areas. Ahead of the 2021 Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-sweeping Day, China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs launched a program searching for relatives of unidentified martyrs. It published information about 100 such martyrs, providing photographs of 68. Sheng's team worked against the clock for three days to release the restored images before the festival.
In the future, Sheng plans to build a more professional team to run the existing non-profit programs. "It would use technology to help people who have lost their loved ones, and also cultivate more young scholars to work for good causes," he said.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Earthly Encounters news portal”。http://mayotte.brianlynch.org/html-21f899905.html
Related articles
Devout Christian doctor, 68, who punched dementia
businessAn 'arrogant' doctor who punched a vulnerable patient for making a racist comment and spitting at hi ...
【business】
Read moreXi to begin Serbia visit on the 25th anniversary of NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy
businessBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to European ally Serbia on Tuesday falls o ...
【business】
Read moreZendaya wows in a glamorous vintage backless dress as she attends Anna Wintour's star
businessZendaya showed off her jaw-dropping figure in a dazzling gown as she arrived at Vogue editor Anna Wi ...
【business】
Read more
Popular articles
- Kate Hudson hits the stage to debut songs from her new album Glorious at star
- Cyberstuck! Tesla's 'apocalypse
- Anya Taylor
- Brooke Shields and model daughter Grier Henchy, 18, get matching tattoos with a sentimental meaning
- Ohio judge to rule Monday on whether the state’s abortion ban stands
- Beyonce puts on a cheeky display in bottom
Latest articles
Kosovo prepares a new draft law on renting prison cells to Denmark after the first proposal failed
I survived being 'internally decapitated' after a drunk driver plowed into me
Women SLAM the skyrocketing price of professional lash extensions
China's smartphone shipments reach 69.3 mln units in Q1
Young Boys seals 6th Swiss soccer league title in 7 years after rallying from firing coach Wicky
Blackpink fans joke that singer Rosé, 27, is a jinx that breaks up high
LINKS
- China's digital economy hits 45 trln yuan: report
- Tanzania to host field training for over 600 senior police officers from 14 African countries
- China's stance on non
- New defense minister talks with Russian counterpart
- Interview: Expert says Algeria
- Interview: Congo
- China's industrial recovery gaining steam despite profits dip
- China's space station lab module Mengtian ready for launch
- Update: China unveils Shenzhou
- Roundup: Ethiopian gov't, rebels agree to ceasefire