Contacts


 * The following is an outline of a letter to proposed contacts, with whom we will collaborate to create the specifications of and outline the needs to be fulfilled by our PTM device.**

Dear ___,__

Good afternoon! My name is. I am a first-year student in the Imaging Science program at Rochester Institute of Technology. This year, instead of taking the regular introductory courses, the six freshmen in Imaging Science were assigned the task of designing an imaging device by the end of this academic year.

The device we intend to design will be used to create Polynomial Texture Maps (PTMs). A PTM is a digital image which enables the viewer to change the angle from which the object is illuminated. In special viewing software, viewers can choose from a nearly infinite number of light angles with which to illuminate an object. Employing many different angles of illumination allows the observer to view textures which are otherwise difficult to see, which is useful in such applications as examining shoe prints in mud or deciphering otherwise-illegible text. We believe that PTMs could also prove to be very beneficial within your field, in such applications as and _.

HP Labs originally pioneered this technology in 2001, posting their findings on the HP Labs website for public viewing. HP has been working extensively with PTMs in the visible light spectrum; we intend to go beyond the state-of-the-art and incorporate a variety of non-visible wavelengths for illumination in this device.

We are currently in the process of gathering basic requirements for our system. In addition to developing innovative new technologies and features for this PTM device, it is also our goal to create a device that is as user-friendly, versatile, and effective as possible. We are contacting you because we have identified individuals in your field as potential users, and we would like to hear what you would expect from this device. Our collaboration is key to a useful and versatile product that can meet your needs as effectively as possible.

If you believe that there is a use for PTMs within your field, please feel free to reply to this e-mail or call me at _ to discuss your ideas. The Freshman Imaging Science team thanks you in advance for your time and any input that you are willing to provide.

Sincerely,

_, on behalf of the Freshman Imaging Science team.