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VersaVIS-An Open Versatile Multi-Camera Visual-Inertial Sensor Suite
Florian Tschopp1, Michael Riner1, Marius Fehr1,2
1Autonomous Systems Lab, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 12, 2020
Summary
VersaVIS is an open-source sensor suite that precisely synchronizes multiple cameras and inertial measurement units (IMUs) for robust mobile robotics. It achieves sub-millisecond timing accuracy, enhancing visual-inertial SLAM and other applications.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Computer Vision
- Sensor Fusion
Background:
- Accurate pose estimation is vital for mobile robotics.
- Integrating inertial measurement units (IMUs) with visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) enhances robustness.
- Precise time synchronization between sensors is critical for effective sensor fusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce VersaVIS, an open-source, versatile multi-camera visual-inertial sensor suite.
- To provide an efficient research platform for mobile robotic applications.
- To address challenges in sensor synchronization, including varying exposure times and system delays.
Main Methods:
- Developed a comprehensive hardware, firmware, and software bundle for sensor synchronization.
- Implemented features for exposure compensation, host clock translation, and independent/stereo camera triggering.
- Supported a wide range of cameras and IMUs for application flexibility.
Main Results:
- Achieved timing synchronization accuracy of less than 1 millisecond.
- Demonstrated the platform's applicability in visual-inertial SLAM.
- Showcased versatility in multi-camera, multi-modal mapping, and object-based mapping.
Conclusions:
- VersaVIS offers a robust and accurate solution for multi-sensor time synchronization in mobile robotics.
- The open-source nature facilitates easy deployment, integration, and extension for research.
- The achieved synchronization accuracy significantly benefits advanced robotic applications.
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