ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a critical survey of the literature on omnidirectional sensing. The area of vision applications such as autonomous robot navigation, telepresence, and virtual reality is being expanded by the use of cameras with wide angles of view. In particular, a real-time omnidirectional camera with a single center of projection is suitable for analyzing and monitoring. From its omnidirectional input image, any desired image can be generated, and projected on a designated image plane, such as a pure perspective image or a panoramic image. In this chapter, designs and principles of existing omnidirectional cameras, which can acquire an omnidirectional (360 degrees) field of view, are reviewed and their applications in fields of autonomous robot navigation, telepresence, remote surveillance and virtual reality are discussed.
