Novel applications of hyperstereo vision

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Novel applications of hyperstereo vision

Watkins, W.R. / Jordan, J.B. / Trivedi, M.M.

Recent stereo vision experiments show potential in enhancing vehicular navigation, target acquisition, and optical turbulence mitigation. The experiments involved the use of stereo vision headsets connected to visible and 8-12 mu m IR imagers. The imagers were separated by up to 50 m (i.e., wider platform separation than human vision, or hyperstereo) and equipped with telescopes for viewing at ranges of tens of meters up to 4 km. The important findings were: (1) human viewers were able to discern terrain undulations for obstacle avoidance, (2) human viewers were able to detect depth features within the scenes that enhanced the target acquisition process over using monocular viewing, and (3) human viewers noted appreciable reduction in the distortion effects of optical turbulence over that observed through a single monocular channel. For navigation, stereo goggles were developed for headset display and simultaneous direct vision for vehicular navigation enhancement. For detection, the depth cues can be used to detect even salient target features. For optical turbulence, the human mechanisms of fusing two views into a single perceived scene can be used to provide nearly undistorted perception. These experiments show significant improvement for many applications.