Optic flow and depth perception

The field of depth recovery from optic flow has recently experienced much growth, both on the theoretical and on the empirical fronts. Unfortunately, the theoretical results are not as widely known to perception workers as they might be. This article gives a simple analysis of the information for depth present in optic flow. It also reviews the psychophysical results for depth recovery from motion. These results are discussed with reference to the theoretical analysis and to relevant computer algorithms for depth recovery.