Foveated Stereo IR (FoSIR) Imaging for Robotic Navigation

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a stereo infrared imaging system capable of simultaneously acquiring panoramic wide field of view for autonomous mapping and navigation, and a rapidly steerable high resolution field of view to improve human perception and collision avoidance for high speed teleoperation. Accurate teleoperation and 3D mapping on ground-based robotic assets is essential for improving operation of UGVs in unmapped, GPS denied arenas. The need for operation in dark, GPS-denied indoor and outdoor environments gives a strong motivation to extend vision based navigation and mapping to the IR spectral range. Some of the significant barriers for successful implementation of IR vision systems for mapping and localization include: the large size, weight, power consumption, and cost of IR systems, the lack of IR imaging systems optimized for 3D mapping and navigation, and the need for signal processing tailored to IR information which is distinct from visible imaging. In this Phase I project, FiveFocal will specifically address each of these barriers through the design of the imaging system and signal processing that extend the innovative dual channel sensor to the IR with the anticipated result of demonstrating IR mapping capability.