Collaborative Handheld 3D Sensors

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Summary of proposal – Laurendeau 17782The research program addresses a promising topic in computer vision and consists in exploring how groups of collaborative handheld 3D sensors can be exploited by human operators for Quality Control. Although the problem of collaborative sensors mounted on mobile robots has been investigated in depth in the past, the topic of collaborative 3D sensors exploited by humans has received little attention. This topic is becoming highly relevant with the advent of fast and accurate handheld 3D sensors that are now widely used in quality control and inspection in general.The expertise in 3D vision developed by the applicant has demonstrated that human operators intuitively know “where” to scan the 3D data but are much less efficient in deciding where new data should be collected or whether or not enough “reliable data” has been collected on the objects. There is thus an urgent need for investigating how 3D sensors could provide guidance to human operators during the data collection process.The objectives of the program are to:1. study how groups of handheld 3D scanners can be used efficiently by human operators in Quality Control to perform measurements on large man-made objects. The 3D sensors collaboration problem addresses the formulation of an optimization approach for data collection by groups of 3D sensors and also explores sub-problems such as sensor positioning, view alignment, segmentation of 3D data into geometric primitives and features (edges) as well as alignment between object parts and a CAD model;2. build a plug-in software framework supporting the above collaboration approach;3. combine Human-Sensor-Interfaces to the optimization approach to help human operators to collect sufficient reliable data using handheld 3D scanners;4. train highly qualified personnel in 3D vision and collaborative research;5. disseminate research results in journals and conferences and transfer results to potential industrial partners.According to the ARC Advisory Group, the 3D scanning market is expected to grow at an 8.8 percent annual rate for 2012-2016. Handheld 3D sensors are a growing part of this market. However, these sensors still remain difficult to use by non-vision specialists. The research program proposes to investigate new optimization approaches and human-sensor interfaces to guide human users in achieving better results in their data collection tasks.A major outcome will be the formulation, implementation and validation of a paradigm which will optimize the collaboration of groups of handheld 3D sensors operated by human users, a problem that has received little attention but that is of major importance with the widespread use of these sensors in industry.It is anticipated that the optimization framework and complementary technology to be developed in the program will lead to better ways of using handheld 3D sensors, reduce scanning time and post-processing time, and increase efficiency in quality control. This is highly relevant to the 3D scanning industry, a sector in which Canada is a world leader. The training of highly qualified personnel will also help this industry to maintain its leadership position. There is currently a shortage of specialists in 3D vision and those who will participate in this research will find stimulating jobs.