MAV Obstacle Avoidance Using Optical Flow

Abstract

Optical flow is a well known subject in robotics, computer vision and in particular in nature. Honeybees for example use optical flow (OF) successfully to navigate in their environment. Combined with other senses they can even use it to estimate distances and paths – for example from their beehive to delicious flowers. Pure OF lacks of absolute distance or velocity information, instead only the ratio of these values can be measured. Nevertheless this information can be used for rudimentary reactive obstacle avoidance controllers. This implies the strategy that close objects at low speed are as dangerous obstacles as the ones further away at higher speed.