Event-Driven Sensing and Processing for High-Speed Robotic Vision

Abstract — We present here an overview of a new vision paradigm where sensors and processors use visual information not represented by sequences of frames. Event-driven vision is inherently frame-free, as happens in biological systems. We use an event-driven sensor chip (called Dynamic Vision Sensor or DVS) together with event-driven convolution module arrays implemented on high-end FPGAs. Experimental results demonstrate the application of this paradigm to implement Gabor filters and 3D stereo reconstruction systems. This architecture can be applied to real systems which need efficient and high-speed visual perception, like vehicle automatic driving, robotic applications in non-structured environments, or intelligent surveillance in security systems