Case Studies: Stereo Cameras & Mobile Robot Platform Solutions

Seeing. Sensing. Adapting.

We Design Our Products for You – The Researcher, Professor, and Product Innovator

Applications for realtime stereo exist anywhere timely range data is useful.  After many years of making our cameras and SVS available to the research community, there are a multitude of applications at various stages of progress, from advanced research on autonomous vehicle navigation to such as SEAMAP's underwater cameras. 

Mobile robot platforms meet the demand for a sturdy platform that can be used individually and loaded to the max, as demonstrated by Georgia Tech's EI-E assistive robot.  Alternatively, they can be trained to move in a group formation as in the fighting fires demonstration of the Guardians at Sheffield Hallam University and University Jaume I.

The case studies in this section are practical applications of our stereo imaging systems and ready-to-run robotic platforms.  Examples in these three major markets – Basic Research, Education, and Commercial Applications – illustrate their power, usefulness and adaptability in diverse environments.

•     Basic Research Market    
•        Education Market        
• Commercial Applications Market

Testing and validating theories and concepts in Vision and Robots

Farmerbot: STH-DCSG-VARX Camera Application Adaptive Exposure for Dynamic Light Variations in Agricultural Applications At the University of Copenhagen, researchers developed a perception system with Videre Design’s stereo camera that adjusts to variations in sunlight and thus produces a more accurate 3-D image of the crop...more

Grasping: STOC-9CM Camera Application Robot Physical Interaction through the combination of Vision, Tactile and Force Feedback Researchers at University Jaume I are developing a multipurpose assistive robot that can move, open doors, and grab objects. Their prototype, a three-fingered Service Robot, retrieves books from a library shelf. ...more

Simon Says: STH-DCSG-VAR Camera Application Humanoid Robot Imitates Human Behavior with Vision-Based Tracking System Using stereo vision to detect movements of a human counterpart, the humanoid robot created by researchers at the Universidad de Malaga captures a human pose in real-time and then imitates it on a 3D avatar...more

Roughing It: STH-MDCS Camera Application Advancing Robotic Exploration in Rough Terrain Using Vision-Based Methods of Localization University of Michigan researchers used the Rover Dune, from the University of Salento, equipped with a Videre Design stereo camera, to visually track the landscape and a monocular camera to track wheel slippage...more

	Calm in the Face of Fire: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Mobile Robots Assist Smoke-Blinded Firefighters in Search and Rescue Operations Using Videre Design’s ERA-MOBI mobile robot platform, the GUARDIANS robots work with firefighters to help guide them, indicating possible obstacles and maintaining communications links...more
	Willow Garage and the PR2: STOC Camera Application Building the Next Generation of Personal Robots Silicon Valley start-up Willow Garage has created a robot platform that paves the way for a personal robotics industry similar to the personal computer industry...more
	Clickable World: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Mobile Robotic Behavior Selection Determined by Laser Pointing and Context Georgia Tech used an ERA-MOBI robotic platform to create a robot that interacts with humans and the human world in specific ways via a behavior selection system in addition to El-E's laser-pointer location abilities...more
	Fetch!: ERA-MOBI Robot Application An Assistive Robot Aims to Improve Quality of Life for Individuals with Motor Impairments The Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech created EI-E, a mobile robot that locates and fetches items from flat surfaces, such as tables or the floor, for people with visual and mobility challenges...more

	Tagged: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Robot Mobility and Scanning Systems for Tag Pose Estimation Seeking to go beyond the capabilities of laser range finding devices, researchers at Georgia Tech University created a multiple-antenna radio frequency identification (RFID) reader on Videre Design's mobile robot...more
	Docker: STH-MDCS-VARX Camera Application Visual Servoing for Docking of Mobile Robots Equipped with Two Cameras At the Universidade de Brasília, researchers investigate stochastic approaches to visual servoing using a STH-MDCS-VARX on a mobile robot docking in front of a door...more
	Home Run: STOC Camera Application An Interactive Mobile Robot Competes in RoboCup@Home Robots can’t quite compete in the World Cup yet, but they can compete in RoboCup@Home, an international mobile robot competition aimed at fostering the development of robotic applications...more
	Robot Actor: STH-MDCS Camera Application Interactive Robot Theatre Researchers at the MIT Media Lab built an interactive robot theatre to study the social interactivity of robots. In the study, humans interact with a robot named Public Anemone, a robot lives on an intelligent stage...more

Smile: STH-MDCS-VAR Camera Application Successfully Tracking People in Public Interactive Spaces Researchers at the University of Canterbury designed a camera system that could accurately track human motion and estimate human poses in varying settings, regardless of fluctuating environmental constraints...more

Roboduck: STH-MDCS Camera Application Navigation and Guidance of an Autonomous Surface Vehicle Autonomous Surface Vehicles monitor the effects of harmful algal blooms on desalination facilities. The Roboduck II at the University of Southern California uses the STH-MDCS with SVS software to generate depth images...more

New Sentry in Town: STOC-15CM Camera Application A 3D-SLAM Dunk in Urban Situation Analysis Using SLAM technology with the STOC stereo cameras, LIDAR technology and optical color cameras, researchers are MITRE are developing an unmanned ground vehicle to help soldiers in an urban environment...more

Follow That Sound!: STH-MDCS Camera Application Sound Localization and Separation for Tele-Operated Mobile Robots Researchers at AIST in Japan developed an impressive thirty-two microphone audio system combined with visual information from two STH-MDCS cameras to improve the effectiveness of a tele-operated robot...more

Educating students about robots from introductory classes to PhD projects

University Courses

	All in the Labs: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Stanford Course CS 225B: Robot Programming Lab Stanford University’s “Robot Programming Lab” course, taught each Fall quarter by Kurt Konolige, challenges the students to take material from the lectures and translate it into practice on ERA-MOBI mobile robots.... more
	To See What No Robot Has Seen Before: ERA-MOBI Robot & STH-MDCS-VAR Camera Application Texas Tech Course CS5391: Introduction to AI Robotics Texas Tech offers the course CS5391, "Introduction to AI Robotics", which teaches graduate and undergraduate students the basics of robotics. Through lectures, reading assignments and a substantial final project... more
	Research with Blood, Sweat, and Tears: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Washington University in St Louis Course CSE 553: Advanced Mobile Robotics The Erratic robots, named Blood, Sweat, and Tears, are in constant use in an advanced mobile robotics course at Washington University in St Louis. Students learn the joys and challenges of robotics research... more
	Robotics Class for All: ERA-MOBI Robot Application OpenCourseWare: MIT’s Free Bachelor Level Class on the Design of Robotics Systems Via MIT’s OpenCourseWare, anyone can take “Introduction to Robotics." In addition to the standard course material, students are challenged with a final project, such as developing a de-mining or a search-and-rescue robot... more

Summer Programs

School's In for the Summer: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Autonomous Mobile Robot Navigation Methods Each summer the University of California, Santa Barbara, hosts the EPSEM/SIMS summer programs for incoming students in science and engineering to learn first-hand how research is conducted... more

Dissertations

	Grasping: STOC-9CM Camera Application Robot Physical Interaction through the combination of Vision, Tactile and Force Feedback Researchers at University Jaume I are developing a multipurpose assistive robot that can move, open doors, and grab objects. Their prototype, a three-fingered Service Robot, retrieves books from a library shelf...more
	Farmerbot: STH-DCSG-VARX Camera Application Adaptive Exposure for Dynamic Light Variations in Agricultural Applications At the University of Copenhagen, researchers developed a perception system with Videre Design’s stereo camera that adjusts to variations in sunlight and thus produces a more accurate 3-D image of the crop... more
	Docker: STH-MDCS-VARX Camera Application Visual Servoing for Docking of Mobile Robots Equipped with Two Cameras At the Universidade de Brasília, researchers investigate stochastic approaches to visual servoing using a STH-MDCS-VARX on a mobile robot docking in front of a door...more
	Roboduck: STH-MDCS Camera Application Navigation and Guidance of an Autonomous Surface Vehicle Autonomous Surface Vehicles monitor the effects of harmful algal blooms on desalination facilities. The Roboduck II at the University of Southern California uses the STH-MDCS with SVS software to generate depth images...more
	Robot Actor: STH-MDCS Camera Application Interactive Robot Theatre Researchers at the MIT Media Lab built an interactive robot theatre to study the social interactivity of robots. In the study, humans interact with a robot named Public Anemone, a robot lives on an intelligent stage...more

Robot Competitions

Home Run: STOC Camera Application An Interactive Mobile Robot Competes in RoboCup@Home Robots can’t quite compete in the World Cup yet, but they can compete in RoboCup@Home, an international mobile robot competition aimed at fostering the development of robotic applications...more

Developing products from proof-of-concept to commercialization

Agriculture

Farmerbot: STH-DCSG-VARX Camera Application Adaptive Exposure for Dynamic Light Variations in Agricultural Applications At the University of Copenhagen, researchers developed a perception system with Videre Design’s stereo camera that adjusts to variations in sunlight and thus produces a more accurate 3-D image of the crop...more

Book Digitization

Go Digital: STH-MDCS-VAR Camera Application Book Digitization The digitization of books has been undertaken on a variety of scales for at least a decade. Various library projects, such as the Virginia eText Project and Project Gutenberg, aim to produce replacement copies of texts that are deteriorating or to make rare physical collections more widely accessible.  Videre Design's STH-MDCS-VAR stereo vision cameras are used in one of the largest, mass-digitization projects in the world.

Fisheries

Go Fish: STH-MDCS Camera Application SEAMAP Reef Fish Survey The Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) measures fish populations relative to topographic features in the Gulf of Mexico using sensors and four STH-MDCS cameras...more

Museum Displays

Dance with the Dinosaur: STH-MDCS Camera Application Alterface Creates an Ingenious, Interactive Dinosaur Display Alterface, an interactive multimedia developer, created a unique and imaginative interactive application for the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. The objective was to bring a Pachycephalosaurus to life...more

Personal Assistant

	Calm in the Face of Fire: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Mobile Robots Assist Smoke-Blinded Firefighters in Search and Rescue Operations Using Videre Design’s ERA-MOBI mobile robot platform, the GUARDIANS robots work with firefighters to help guide them, indicating possible obstacles and maintaining communications links...more
	Clickable World: ERA-MOBI Robot Application Mobile Robotic Behavior Selection Determined by Laser Pointing and Context Georgia Tech used an ERA-MOBI robotic platform to create a robot that interacts with humans and the human world in specific ways via a behavior selection system in addition to El-E's laser-pointer location abilities...more
	Fetch!: ERA-MOBI Robot Application An Assistive Robot Aims to Improve Quality of Life for Individuals with Motor Impairments The Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech created EI-E, a mobile robot that locates and fetches items from flat surfaces, such as tables or the floor, for people with visual and mobility challenges...more

People Tracking

Smile: STH-MDCS-VAR Camera Application Successfully Tracking People in Public Interactive Spaces Researchers at the University of Canterbury designed a camera system that could accurately track human motion and estimate human poses in varying settings, regardless of fluctuating environmental constraints...more