High resolution catadioptric omni-directional stereo sensor for robot vision

Autonomous robots need to acquire both omnidirectional view and stereo in real-time without sacrificing too much image resolution. The recent catadioptric omni-directional vision sensors provide simple affordable real-time omni-directional images but only at the cost of rather low image resolutions. This work describes a novel omni-directional stereo image sensor providing the highest resolution while still retaining the simplicity and real-time advantages that are unique to the family of catadioptric sensors. Only one simple reflective surface, a beam splitter and two regular (perspective) cameras are needed.