IEEE Oceans Conference 2026

Motivation

Interest in computer vision reconstruction techniques using 2D forward-looking sonar (FLS) imaging for underwater environments with poor visibility has grown significantly over the past decade. In addition, an opti-acoustic stereo imaging paradigm developed more than 20 years ago is gaining renewed attention for its potential in novel scene reconstruction. With advances in deep learning frameworks and digital twin technology, this work explores the fundamental principles of computer vision, sonar image formation and processing, and sensor fusion techniques that combine 2D sonar data with optical imagery to address complex underwater perception challenges.

Presenters

  • Shahriar Negahdaripour
  • Guilherme De Oliveira

View biographies

Why Attend

This half-day presentation is designed for students, researchers and engineers at all experience levels. Whether you are new to the field or an experienced practitioner, the material is structured to bridge the gap between theory and real-world implementation, making it accessible and valuable to a broad audience.

What You Will Learn

By attending this presentation, participants will:

  • Understand the fundamentals of sonar image formation and projection geometry.
  • Explore deep learning approaches for 3D reconstruction from sonar imagery.
  • Learn how generative models, such as CycleGANs, can help overcome limited training data in real-world underwater environments.

Topics Covered

  • Foundational Sonar Theory: Participants will learn the basics of 2D sonar image formation and projection geometry. No extensive background in acoustics is required.
  • 3D Model-Based Reconstruction: The presentation will introduce reconstruction methods for simple scenarios based on image-to-image affine transformations, which can serve as building blocks for more advanced techniques.
  • Application-Focused Deep Learning: Deep learning topics, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs), transformers and generative models, will focus on practical applications and the challenges of underwater perception in low-visibility environments.

Intended Audience

Graduate students, academic researchers and deep learning engineers seeking practical insights into modern AI techniques for underwater sensing, imaging and perception.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop to participate in simulator walkthroughs and software demonstrations.

What Next

Hands-On Demonstrations and Simulations

This half-day tutorial pairs theoretical instruction with computer simulations and live software demonstrations, providing participants with practical experience and real-world applications of the concepts presented.

Participants will experience:

  • A guided walkthrough of an underwater simulation environment and forward-looking sonar (FLS) simulator.
  • A live demonstration of 3D object reconstruction using 2D sonar imagery.
  • Real-time code demonstrations showcasing a pre-trained domain adaptation network processing real-world FLS data.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop to follow along with the simulations and software demonstrations.

Agenda

Time

Session & Topics

Format

Colab Notebook Integration

8:00 - 8:10

(10 mins)

Welcome & Overview

• Introduction to underwater perception challenges .

Slide Presentation

Section 0: Environment Setup

8:10 - 9:10

(60 mins)

Module 1: Sonar Image; 2D Formation and 3D Reconstruction

• Projection geometry interpretation and ambiguity .

• Image-to-image transformations & alignment.

Lecture + Live Notebook Demo

Section 1: Sonar Projection

• Beans × Bins to X × Y transformations.

• Sonar to Sonar image Alignment  

9:10 - 10:10

(60 mins)

Module 2: Opti-Acoustic Stereo, image matching and 3D reconstruction.

• Opti-acoustic paradigm .

• 3-D scene reconstruction using fused sensor models.

Lecture + Examples of Use and Results

Section 3: Opti-Acoustic Fusion

• Sonar to Optical image Alignment  

Break

10:10 - 10:30 (20 MINS)

10:30 - 11:00

(30 mins)

Module 3: Deep Learning applied to sonar images

• 3D reconstruction from sonar images (elevation angle estimation).

• Deep Learning applied to 3D reconstruction.

Lecture + papers presentation and demonstration of results

Section 2: Deep Learning & 3D

11:00 - 11:15

(15 mins)

Module 4: Review of Underwater Simulators

• A quick review of the main simulators for underwater environments and sonar simulation.

Lecture + papers presentation 

 

Presentation Documents


 

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