3D reconstruction of underwater natural scenes and objects using stereo vision

Abstract

Over the last two decades, research community of computer vision has developed various techniques suitable for underwater applications using intensity images. This chapter will explore 3D reconstruc-tion of underwater natural scenes and objects based on stereo vision, which will be helpful in mine detection, inspection of shipwrecks, detection of telecommunication cables and pipelines. The general steps involved in 3D reconstruction using stereo vision are provided. The brief summary of papers for 3D reconstruction of underwater environment is presented. 3D reconstruction of underwater natural scenes and objects is challenging problem due to light propagation in underwater. In contrast to light propagation in the air, the light rays are attenuated and scattered, having a great effect on image quality. We have proposed preprocessing technique to enhance degraded underwater images. At the end of the chapter, we have presented the proposed stereo vision based 3D reconstruction technique to reconstruct 3D surface of underwater objects. Ultimately, this chapter intends to give an overview of the 3D recon-struction technique using stereo vision in order to help a reader in understanding stereo vision and its benefits for underwater applications. © 2012, IGI Global.