Direct extraction of curvature-based metric shape from stereo by view-modulated receptive fields

Any computation of metric surface structure from horizontal disparities depends on the viewing geometry, and analysing this dependence allows us to narrow down the choice of viable schemes. For example, all depth-based or slant-based schemes (i.e. nearly all existing models) are found to be unrealistically sensitive to natural errors in vergence. Curvature-based schemes avoid these problems and require only moderate, more robust view-dependent corrections to yield local object shape, without any depth coding. This fits the fact that humans are strikingly insensitive to global depth but accurate in discriminating surface curvature. The latter also excludes coding only affine structure. In view of new adaptation results, our goal becomes to directly extract retinotopic fields of metric surface curvatures (i.e. avoiding intermediate disparity curvature).To find a robust neural realisation, we combine new exact analysis with basic neural and psychophysical constraints. Systematic, step-by-step ‘design’ leads to neural operators which employ a novel family of ‘dynamic’ receptive fields (RFs), tuned to specific (bi-)local disparity structure. The required RF family is dictated by the non-Euclidean geometry that we identify as inherent in cyclopean vision. The dynamic RF-subfield patterns are controlled via gain modulation by binocular vergence and version, and parameterised by a cell-specific tuning to slant. Our full characterisation of the neural operators invites a range of new neurophysiological tests. Regarding shape perception, the model inverts widely accepted interpretations: It predicts the various types of errors that have often been mistaken for evidence against metric shape extraction.