"ROBOT VISION" > Page 1, 2

Software and links

Improv is probably the most popular tool for basic real time image processing with low resolution, especially suitable for mobile robots applications. It has been developed for PCs with Linux operating system, and works with a number of inexpensive low-resolution digital cameras - no frame grabber required. It usually works by displaying the live camera image in the first window, while subsequent image operations can be applied to this image in five more windows. For each sub-window, a sequence of image processing routines may be specified.

RobotVision2(Rv2) is a real-time image processing software, using VideoForWindow(VFW) compatible camera (QuickCam for example) as the image source. Rv2 uses the idea of pipeline, where image from VFW source get processed when passing through each sections of a pipeline. Uses assign the size of a pipeline and image processing algorithm to each sections of the pipeline. Rv2 can produce avi movie file, and also take a snap shot of a frame to windows BMP file. It is a good research tool for real-time image processing, because Rv2 ability to load ImageProcessing functions from DLL at runtime, users can write their own ImageProcessing functions, and put them in a DLL without having to interfere with the low level image acquisition device.

   Site(s) of interest:

• University of Utah
  The vision and robotics group investigates a broad range of problems in computer vision, sensing for manufacturing, and robotics.
• Vision and Robotics at University of Cambridge
  Interpretation of visual motion, visual tracking, robot guidance, face detection and tracking, image segmentation and compression, robot hand-eye co-ordination.
• Oxford
  Robot sensor systems, pattern analysis, visual geometry, visual dynamics, active vision.
• The Mobot Vision System
  The mobot vision system is an older, light weight, low power, ultra-low cost vision system designed for use on board a mobile robot designed by Masaki Yamamoto with assistance from Andy Gavin and Ian Horswill from MIT.
• Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems at COGS
  Fascinating projects aimed at the development of neural network controllers for visually guided robots.
• Autonomous Helicopter Project at CMU
  Developing a vision-guided robot helicopter which can autonomously carry out the goal mission in any weather conditions and using only on-board intelligence and computing power.
• Pii-Robotics Ltd.
  Software family for machine-vision applications.
• Image processing and computer vision textbooks
  This paper gives a comparative overview of ten of the currently available computer vision and image processing textbooks.
• Minimalism in Low-Level Visually Controlled Behaviours
  Ideas behind the development of a visually controlled autonomous robot.
• Robot Vision System for the LOBOTomous
  LOBOtomous is a robot which was designed and constructed by the faculty and students at the University of New Mexico.
• Microcam
  Interested in miniaturizing your robotic project? How about 5x10x20 mm3 for a camera?
• Vision Chips or Seeing Silicon
  Great introduction to the vision chips.
• The Cognachrome Vision System
  One of the most popular low-cost (well, not that low), vision-based tracking system
• Machine Vision
  One of the best resources for robot builders interested in machine vision. Huge and up-to-date list of links covering everything from commercial off-the-shelf digital cameras to building and programming a digital camera.
• MSR Research: Vision Technology Group
  Vision Software Development Kit, Image-Based Modelling and Rendering, Intelligent Video Analysis at Microsoft.
• Seeing is Believing: Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence
  Excellent article on computer vision from ACM Crossroads.
• Image Processing Solutions, Inc.
  Providers of Image Analysis, Microscopy, Machine Vision and Video Equipment.
• Cognex
  Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision systems, or computers that can "see."
• Machine Vision
  One of the best resources for robot builders interested in machine vision. Huge and up-to-date list of links covering everything from commercial off-the-shelf digital cameras to building and programming a digital camera.