Error analysis of pure rotation-based self-calibration
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Magnetic Tweezers for the Measurement of Twist and Torque
Published on: May 19, 2014
Lei Wang1, Sing Bing Kang, Heung-Yeung Shum
1Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China. wanglei99@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn
Abstract:
Self-calibration using pure rotation is a well-known technique and has been shown to be a reliable means for recovering intrinsic camera parameters. However, in practice, it is virtually impossible to ensure that the camera motion for this type of self-calibration is a pure rotation. In this paper, we present an error analysis of recovered intrinsic camera parameters due to the presence of translation. We derived closed-form error expressions for a single pair of images with nondegenerate motion; for multiple rotations for which there are no closed-form solutions, analysis was done through repeated experiments. Among others, we show that translation-independent solutions do exist under certain practical conditions. Our analysis can be used to help choose the least error-prone approach (if multiple approaches exist) for a given set of conditions.
Related Concept Videos
Rotational Motion about a Fixed Axis
Relative Motion Analysis using Rotating Axes
However, to express the relative position of point B relative to point A, an additional frame of reference, denoted as x'y', is necessary. This additional frame not only translates but also rotates relative to the fixed frame, making it instrumental in...
Relative Motion Analysis using Rotating Axes-Problem Solving
Here, in order to determine the magnitude of velocity and acceleration for point...
Equation of Motion: Rotation About a Fixed Axis
The tangential component is dependent on the direction of the angular acceleration of the flywheel. The tangential component of the acceleration propels the flywheel along its path. On the other hand,...
Kinematic Equations for Rotation
For instance, imagine a point A on a rigid body engaged in circular motion. The translational velocity of this particular point can be calculated by taking the time derivatives of the displacement equation, which essentially measures the...
Relative Motion Analysis using Rotating Axes - Acceleration
Time differentiation is...

