Object extraction from underwater images through logical stochastic resonance

Logical stochastic resonance (LSR), the phenomenon in which the interplay of noise and nonlinearity can raise the accurate probability of response to feeble input signals, is studied in this Lettter to extract objects from highly degraded underwater images. Images captured under water, especially in the turbid areas, always suffer from interference through heavy noise caused by the suspended particles. Inherent noise and nonlinearity cause difficulty in processing these images through conventional image processing methods. However, LSR can optimally address such issues. A heavily degraded image is first extended to a 1D form in the direction determined by the illumination condition, and then normalized to be placed in the LSR system as an input signal. Additional Gaussian noise is added to the system as the auxiliary power to help separate the object and the background. Results in the natural offshore area demonstrate the effect of LSR on image processing, and the proposed method creates an interesting direction in the processing of heavily degraded images. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America