An anthropomorphic retina-like structure for scene analysis

Abstract Industrial robots, being designed to operate in man-oriented environments, should incorporate some anthropomorphic features. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the intrinsic economy of a human retina-like structure, in terms of an optimum compromise among large visual field, acceptable resolution, and information reduction, in the scene analysis of man-oriented environments. A model of this structure based on a discrete distribution of elements whose radii increase linearly with eccentricity in the visual field is proposed and results of simulations are presented. At present, the technology of solid-state video cameras and appropriate scanning procedures could allow the actual implementation of the proposed retina, especially in the field of industrial scene analysis.

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