LightPanel: Active Mobile Platform for Dense 3D Modelling

TL;DR

LightPanel is an active mobile platform that enhances dense 3D modeling of hard-to-reach objects by combining active illumination, a distance sensor, and Photometric Stereo on a mobile robot.

Contribution

The paper introduces LightPanel, a novel mobile platform integrating active lighting and sensors for improved dense 3D reconstruction in challenging environments.

Findings

Effective dense 3D models from out-of-reach objects.

Successful integration of active illumination with Photometric Stereo.

Practical calibration and deployment on a mobile robot.

Abstract

In this paper we introduce a novel platform for dense 3D modelling. This platform is an active image acquisition setup assisted with a set of light sources and a distance sensor. The hardware setup is designed for being mounted on a mobile robot which is remotely driven to create accurate dense 3D models from out-of-reach objects. For this reason, the object is actively illuminated by the imaging setup and Photometric Stereo is used to recover the dense 3D model. The proposed image acquisition setup, called LightPanel, is described from design to calibration and discusses the practical challenges of using Photometric Stereo under uncontrolled lighting conditions.