The CEU Department of Cognitive Science and the Social Mind Center cordially invites you
to its talk by
Laszlo
Talas<http://camolab.com/members.php?s=talas> (Camo Lab, University of
Bristol)
Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - 17:00-18:30
Location: Department of Cognitive Science, CEU, Oktober 6 St. 7, room 101
The cultural evolution of camouflage uniform patterns: visual concealment as foreign
policy?
Why do armies operating in similar environments (e.g. temperate woodlands of Europe) wear
markedly different dress? The primary function of military camouflage is generally
understood to be concealment, however the vast diversity of camouflage patterns (over 600
patterns in the past century) suggests additional design factors. One hypothesis is that
camouflage patterns can also act as signals of alliance and aiding soldiers to distinguish
friend from foe. On the other hand, newly independent states can endorse their identity by
issuing distinctive camouflage. In both cases, designs must remain constrained to function
as adequate concealment. The aim of this presentation is to show how a phylogenetic model
can be useful for testing these hypotheses. In order to quantify similarity between
patterns, we used methods derived from computer vision to compare their texture and
colour. Camouflage of countries can be represented as phylogenies; temporal information
(e.g. when patterns were issued) is readily available. Using two cases studies - the
post-Cold War changes in East European camouflage and the emergence of Post-Yugoslavian
patterns - I will demonstrate how certain "design drifts" can be detected
throughout the history of camouflage uniforms.
We are looking forward to see you at the talk!
Cognitive Science Events at CEU:
http://cognitivescience.ceu.hu/events
Social Mind Center Events at CEU:
http://socialmind.ceu.edu/events
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