Image processing and analysis in multisensory systems

An overview of trends on image processing and analysis in visual and nonvisual sensors introduces the presentation of two multisensory systems in industrial applications. The weakness of computer vision to solve object perception and localization issues in robotics singlehandedly led to the introduction of other nonvisual sensors. Principles, applications, and imaging techniques used by ultrasonic or laser devices and tactile sensors are presented. Sensor integration issues are also discussed. Two multisensory systems developed within the framework of the European program ESPRIT are described. The first concerns the integration of various sensors in an assembly robot, and the second presents the integration of tactile sensing and vision for object manipulation in nonconstrained environments.