This research effort will implement a "smart cameras" (Fast 3D imaging camera, or F3D1) which will generate a full range map of a manufacturing scene in real time with virtually no computation required. The same camera will also continue to function as a normal intensity based camera and can be switched from intensity to range mode by switching a single binary line. Today's robots exploit cameras to capture images of the objects which require manipulation by the robot, and attempt to use that image data to learn the exact position of parts, to identify problems, to inspect parts, to detect proximity, etc. One of the problems which limits the use of machine vision in manufacturing environments is that camera images are two dimensional and the objects which must be manipulated are three dimensional. Three dimensional information is essential in most realistic applications, hence numerous techniques have been explored to generate depth information from 2D camera images. None of these techniques is ideal for factory application because each is either slow, costly, or inaccurate, or fails to work on objects that are specular. The novel technology being developed for the F3D1 camera could have important applications in manufacturing and other settings.
