Re:Open Problems in Robotics
by michaelt on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @07:12AM
(#24209158)
The answer is 'sometimes' and it's known as stereo vision.
Downsides include being less precise at longer distances (an object 1.5 meters away becomes a lot larger if it gets 1 meter closer, an object 150 meters away barely changes) and poor performance on surfaces with fewer features, or really dense features that all look alike (e.g. running across a field while spotting bumps and dips in the grass, or measuring whether sheets of steel are flat or not)
In some cases this doesn't matter - a Roomba doesn't care if it's hard to see things 150 meters away, as rooms are rarely that big.
Downsides include being less precise at longer distances (an object 1.5 meters away becomes a lot larger if it gets 1 meter closer, an object 150 meters away barely changes) and poor performance on surfaces with fewer features, or really dense features that all look alike (e.g. running across a field while spotting bumps and dips in the grass, or measuring whether sheets of steel are flat or not)
In some cases this doesn't matter - a Roomba doesn't care if it's hard to see things 150 meters away, as rooms are rarely that big.