Accident Investigation with 3D Models from Images

2016PDFTech ReportDTRT12GUTG11Accident investigationMathematical analysisPhotographsSoftwareTraffic incidentsAccident reconstructionScannersData and Information TechnologyHighwaysSafety and Human Factors3D modelsUnited StatesTechnologies for Safe and Efficient Transportation. University Transportation CenterMertz, ChristophCarnegie-Mellon University. Robotics InstituteUniversity of PennsylvaniaUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and TechnologyTechnologies for Safe and Efficient Transportation. University Transportation CenterUS Transportation CollectionVehicular accidents are one of the great societal challenges. In some demographics, they are the leading cause of death. It is important that accidents are thoroughly investigated. The current practice of using laser scanners to capture the accident scene in 3D are so expensive and time consuming that they are only used in the most severe cases. We want to make 3D scene reconstruction with regular cameras practical so that it can be used efficiently by any accident investigator. To this effect we tried several reconstruction programs, developed end-to-end pipelines, improved on current methods, and made software and documentation freely available on a website (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~reconstruction/)