Vergence and tracking fusing log-polar images

Abstract

Vergence provides robot vision systems with a crucial degree of freedom: it enables fixation of points in visual space at different distances from the observer. Moreover, the control of vergence definitely influences the degree of binocular fusion in an active vision system. The paper shows how binocular fusion can be considered as a basic visual cue to elicit vergence and smooth pursuit movements. The choice of this visual cue together with the log-polar image plane geometry turns out to be very relevant in the design of a binocular tracking system. Real-time experiments prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.