Reading some papers about visual odometry, many use inverse depth. Is it only the mathematical inverse of the depth (meaning 1/d) or does it represent something else. And what are the advantages of using it?
Welcome to Robotics Stack Exchange
Robotics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional robotic engineers, hobbyists, researchers and students. It's built and run by you as part of the Stack Exchange network of Q&A sites. With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question about robotics.
We're a little bit different from other sites. Here's how:
Ask questions, get answers, no distractions
This site is all about getting answers. It's not a discussion forum. There's no chit-chat.
Just questions...
...and answers.
up vote
Good answers are voted up and rise to the top.
The best answers show up first so that they are always easy to find.
accept
The person who asked can mark one answer as "accepted".
Accepting doesn't mean it's the best answer, it just means that it worked for the person who asked.
What is inverse depth (in odometry) and why would I use it?
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
2 Answers
up vote
4
down vote
accept
Features like the sun and clouds and other things that are very far off would have a distance estimate of inf. This can cause a lot of problems. To get around it, the inverse of the distance is estimated. All of the infs become zeros which tend to cause fewer problems.
answered Jan 12 '15 at 3:38
holmeski
1,5878 silver badges17 bronze badges
1,5878 silver badges17 bronze badges
up vote
3
down vote
Davison's paper introducing the method is easy enough to understand:
Inverse Depth Parametrization for Monocular SLAM by Javier Civera, Andrew J. Davison, and J. M. Martınez Montiel DOI: 10.1109/TRO.2008.2003276
answered Nov 3 '15 at 21:49
freakpatrol
411 bronze badge
411 bronze badge
Get answers to practical, detailed questions
Focus on questions about an actual problem you have faced. Include details about what you have tried and exactly what you are trying to do.
Ask about...
- a specific robotics design problem
- the theory and simulation of robotic systems
- a sensor for a robotic system
- the writing algorithms for robotic system
Not all questions work well in our format. Avoid questions that are primarily opinion-based, or that are likely to generate discussion rather than answers.
Questions that need improvement may be closed until someone fixes them.
Don't ask about...
- shopping recommendations
- electronics theory
- programming
- sci-fi robotics
Tags make it easy to find interesting questions
All questions are tagged with their subject areas. Each can have up to 5 tags, since a question might be related to several subjects.
Click any tag to see a list of questions with that tag, or go to the tag list to browse for topics that interest you.
What is inverse depth (in odometry) and why would I use it?
up vote
14
down vote
Reading some papers about visual odometry, many use inverse depth. Is it only the mathematical inverse of the depth (meaning 1/d) or does it represent something else. And what are the advantages of using it?
asked Jan 12 '15 at 2:54
Mehdi
4193 silver badges11 bronze badges
4193 silver badges11 bronze badges
You earn reputation when people vote on your posts
Your reputation score goes up when others vote up your questions, answers and edits.
+5
question voted up
+10
answer voted up
+15
answer is accepted
+2
edit approved
As you earn reputation, you'll unlock new privileges like the ability to vote, comment, and even edit other people's posts.
| Reputation | Privilege |
|---|---|
| 15 | Vote up |
| 50 | Leave comments |
| 125 | Vote down (costs 1 rep on answers) |
At the highest levels, you'll have access to special moderation tools. You'll be able to work alongside our community moderators to keep the site focused and helpful.
| 500 | Vote to close, reopen, or migrate questions |
|---|---|
| 1000 | Edit other people's posts |
| 2000 | Access to moderation tools |
Improve posts by editing or commenting
Our goal is to have the best answers to every question, so if you see questions or answers that can be improved, you can edit them.
Use edits to fix mistakes, improve formatting, or clarify the meaning of a post.
up vote
9
down vote
Features like the sun and clouds and other things that are very far off would have a distance estimate of inf. This can cause a lot of problems. To get around it, the inverse of the distance is estimated. All of the infs become zeros which tend to cause fewer problems.
answered Jan 12 '15 at 3:38
holmeski
1,5878 silver badges17 bronze badges
1,5878 silver badges17 bronze badges
donot quite understand, if I'm using a kinect device, the output values for invalid area are internally set to 0, either because of too near or too far or reflection or disparity. Does that have sth. to do with inverse depth? - zhangxaochen May 17 '16 at 13:54
Unlock badges for special achievements
Badges are special achievements you earn for participating on the site. They come in three levels: bronze, silver, and gold.
| Student | First question with score of 1 or more |
| Editor | First edit |
| Good Answer | Answer score of 25 or more |
| Civic Duty | Vote 300 or more times |
| Famous Question | Question with 10,000 views |
Sign up to get started
Signing up allows you to:
- Earn reputation when you help others with questions, answers and edits.
- Select favorite tags to customize your home page.
- Claim your first badge: Informed
Looking for more in-depth information on the site? Visit the Help Center
Robotics Stack Exchange is part of the Stack Exchange network
Like this site? Stack Exchange is a network of 175 Q&A sites just like it. Check out the full list of sites.
Use comments to ask for more information or clarify a question or answer.
You can always comment on your own questions and answers. Once you earn 50 reputation, you can comment on anybody's post.
Remember: we're all here to learn, so be friendly and helpful!