Green Theorems and Qualitative Properties of the Optical Flow
Abstract
The optical flow is the field of apparent velocities derived from the time-dependent image. On the basis of computational arguments it has been suggested that measurements of the optical flow may be used not for a quantitative estimate of physical 3D velocities for which the optical flow is illsuited, but rather for extracting qualitative properties, such as expansion or rotation. These qualitative properties relate directly to physically meaningful properties of the motion and of the 3D structure of the environment: for instance, expansion may signify a fast approach to a surface, that is an imminent crash, while detection of rotation and of its sign may be used to control egomotion. Detectors that could discriminate between translation, expansion and rotation of the optical flow could be quite useful for several visual tasks, such as, for instance, navigation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA241137
Entities
People
- Alessandro Verri
- Tomaso Poggio
- Vincent Torre
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology