Frontally placed eyes versus laterally placed eyes: computational comparison of their functions for ego-motion estimation

ESPEE: Event-Based Sensor Pose Estimation Using an Extended Kalman Filter

Event-based vision sensors show great promise for use in embedded applications requiring low-latency passive sensing at a low computational cost. In this paper, we present an event-based algorithm that relies on an Extended Kalman Filter for 6-Degree of Freedom sensor pose estimation. The algorithm updates the sensor pose event-by-event with low latency (worst case of less than 2 μs on an FPGA). Using a single handheld sensor, we test the algorithm on multiple recordings, ranging from a high contrast printed planar scene to a more natural scene consisting of objects viewed from above. The pose is accurately estimated under rapid motions, up to 2.7 m/s. Thereafter, an extension to multiple sensors is described and tested, highlighting the improved performance of such a setup, as well as the integration with an off-the-shelf mapping algorithm to allow point cloud updates with a 3D scene and enhance the potential applications of this visual odometry solution.

The Monocular Duke of Urbino

Federico da Montefeltro (1422–1482), the Duke of Urbino, was a well-known historical figure during the Italian Renaissance. He is the subject of a famous painting by Piero della Francesca (1416–1492), which displays the Duke from the left and highlights his oddly shaped nose. The Duke is known to have lost his right eye due to an injury sustained during a jousting tournament, which is why the painting portrays him from the left. Some historians teach that the Duke subsequently underwent nasal surgery to remove tissue from the bridge of his nose in order to expand his visual field in an attempt to compensate for the lost eye. In theory, removal of a piece of the nose may have expanded the nasal visual field, especially the “eye motion visual field” that encompasses eye movements. In addition, removing part of the nose may have reduced some of the effects of ocular parallax. Finally, shifting of the visual egocenter may have occurred, although this seems likely unrelated to the proposed nasal surgery. Whether or not the Duke actually underwent the surgery cannot be proven, but it seems unlikely that this would have substantially improved his visual function.