Scorpion Vision Software: The Navigation
System for an Experimental Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
10th
March 2008
The National
Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton is currently building a machine for an
annual competition designed to advance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
technology. It is hoped this will be achieved by challenging the next
generation of engineers and scientists to design and build an AUV and then
perform realistic missions in the underwater environment.
The
competition will encourage young engineers and scientists to think about
underwater technology and its future possibilities, as well as fostering ties
between the students and the organisations involved in AUV technologies.
Scorpion
Vision software has been selected for the vehicle guidance task. Currently
being tested on a concept ‘Landbot’ vehicle which
looks something akin to an expensive robot toy on wheels, the technology will
shortly be transferred to the AUV for trials, in readiness for the competition
which takes place in France during July.
Jiazhong Liu,
one of the engineers working on the project, says ‘Scorpion Vision Software is
fast, powerful and an excellent image processing technology. The Landbot is working well in a busy and complicated office
environment and avoids all obstacles in its path’.
The NOC is able to use Scorpion cost effectively for this
difficult and complex task because the vehicle uses Windows XP and image
acquisition is carried out using very low cost Unibrain
digital firewire cameras interfaced using Microsoft’s
DirectShow technology – essentially an advanced vision guidance system using
‘off the shelf components’! The industrial vision application has been
developed by the NOC engineers with no programming using Scorpions open
platform and comprehensive vision toolset.
The National Oceanography Centre is displaying details of this and
other projects on their stand at Oceanology
International 2008, taking place at ExCel in London
from 11th to 13th March 2008.
Further details on Scorpion Vision from www.scorpionvision.co.uk/information.asp,
or contact Paul Wilson at Scorpion Vision UK on 01590 679333
-Ends