Visual odometry and mapping under poor visibility conditions using a stereo infrared thermal imaging system
Proceedings of the IS&T International Symposium on Electronic Imaging Science and Technology, page 325-1--325-7. San Francisco, CA, USA, Society for Imaging Science and Technology, (January 2023)DOI: 10.2352/EI.2023.35.5.IRIACV-325
Abstract
In the past decades, developments in the field of
computer vision have made both the software and
hardware more capable and more easily
accessible. This has enabled otherwise complex
vision systems to be used in other fields, such as
autonomous robotics. Although vision systems in the
visible light spectrum are commonplace in robotics
nowadays, the thermal spectrum is still rarely used,
even though it offers certain advantages. A thermal
camera can sense the temperature of objects, is
independent of illumination and can actually see
through heavy smoke and fog. This makes it a useful
tool in particular in the field of rescue robotics,
where poor vision conditions are to be expected. In
this paper, the feasibility of using two thermal
cameras in a stereo vision setup to map indoor
scenes is to be examined. It is meant to allow an
autonomous robot to perceive its indoor surroundings
as a 3D space, even in poor vision conditions. The
biggest challenges are the calibration of thermal
cameras and the proper filtering of the raw image
and the resulting disparity map. Simple and easily
implemented solutions are proposed for each of these
issues.