Real-time smooth pursuit tracking for a moving binocular robot

摘要

This paper examines the problem of a moving robot tracking a moving object with its cameras, without requiring the ability to recognize the target to distinguish it from distracting surroundings.A novel aspect of the approach taken is the use of controlled camera movements to simplify the visual processing necessary to keep the cameras locked on the target.A gaze holding system implemented on a robot's binocular head demonstrates this approach.Even while the robot is moving, the cameras are able to track an object that rotates and moves in three dimensions.The key observation is that visual fixation can help separate an object of interest from distracting surroundings.Camera vergence produces an horopter (surface of zero stereo disparity) in the scene.Binocular features with no disparity can be extracted with a simple filter, showing the object's location in the image.Similarly, an object that is being tracked will be imaged near the center of the field of view, so spatiallylocalized processing helps concentrate on the target.Instead of requiring a way to recognize the target, the system relies on active control of camera movements and binocular fixation segmentation.