{"id":181,"date":"2012-12-26T14:04:43","date_gmt":"2012-12-26T19:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peterabeles.com\/blog\/?p=181"},"modified":"2012-12-26T21:29:54","modified_gmt":"2012-12-27T02:29:54","slug":"rovio-to-3d-stereo-point-clouds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peterabeles.com\/blog\/?p=181","title":{"rendered":"Rovio to 3D Stereo Point Clouds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"rovio_disparity\"<\/a>

This disparity image was created using a single Rovio robot by taking pictures from two different locations.<\/p><\/div>\n

I’m a bit late to the game of Rovio hacking, but here I am experimenting with using a Rovio I bought two years ago.\u00a0 The Rovio by Wowwee is a remote control car that has a camera mounted on it that can be controlled over wireless web based interface.\u00a0 When it was discontinued, the existing stock was liquidated in a fire sale, where they were sold for around $100 each.\u00a0 You can still buy them now, for about $400, on Amazon. Keep in mind you might need to buy a new battery and power supply.<\/p>\n

WowWee Rovio Wi-Fi Enabled Robotic WebCam<\/a>\"\"<\/center>
<\/p>\n
\"Picture<\/a>

Picture of a Rovio<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/center>One of the things that makes Rovio so great, and more than a simple toy, is that it can move in any direction! Which means, that unlike your standard remote control car, it can move sideways. This is exactly what you need if you want to do stereo vision and create a point cloud.<\/p>\n

The figure to the left shows a disparity image created using a single Rovio by driving it a few inches to the right.\u00a0 In this disparity image warmer colors are closer and cooler colors are farther away.\u00a0 See below for the input images.\u00a0 From this disparity image you can create a point cloud, which can then be used for making 3D models or obstacle detection.\u00a0 This process is entirely automated using BoofCV<\/a> and the source code is available online on my Rovio Github project:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/github.com\/lessthanoptimal\/rovio<\/a><\/center>So how does this work?\u00a0 Well a full explanation would be quite detailed.\u00a0 The image processing code is for the most part cut and pasted from examples on BoofCV’s website.\u00a0 A list of relevant example is found below:<\/p>\n