Comparing depth and color RGB images
Posted inSystems & Sensors

Intel RealSense 3D Camera for Robotics & SLAM (with code)

Note: I have been using these cameras for the past 2 years or so. They are great for research, but I do not recommend them for commercial applications due to USB reliability issues. The Intel RealSense cameras have been gaining in popularity for the past few years for use as a 3D camera and for visual odometry. I had the…
image underwater with lights and no lights
Posted inSystems & Sensors

Underwater Photography and Videography

I had somebody ask me questions this week about underwater photography and videography with robots (well, now it is a few weeks ago...). I am not an expert at underwater robotics, however as a SCUBA diver I have some experience that can be applicable towards robotics. Underwater Considerations There are some challenges that exist with underwater photography and videography, that…
Robot Operating in Smoke Fog Dust
Posted inSystems & Sensors

Perception in Smoke, Dust or Fog

I recently had the fortune to attend a talk titled Multi-Modal Data for Perception in Smoke-Filled Underground Mines by Joe Bartels. It was an interesting talk about pushing sensor technology into difficult environments that can have smoke, dust or fog . The following are notes that I took during the talk, as always I add a little of my own…
camera specs
Posted inSystems & Sensors

Camera & Lens Selection

Choosing a camera for your robot or machine vision system can be confusing. It is important to determine your requirements and then figure out how to achieve that between the camera and the optics. The first thing that most people talk about is resolution. The classic resolution of a camera is based on pixels; such as 600 pixels x 400…
sensor datasheet
Posted inSystems & Sensors

Sensor characteristics guide – How to understand your sensor

Hi all Ok, so you read my last post on sensor types (you did, didn't you? if not check it out here) and you now know which sensor you want to use. How do you choose which sensor option to choose? That is a great question, this post will go into details of the various sensor characteristics you might see…