Boosting visual servoing performance through RGB-based methods

Fei, Haolin and Wang, Ziwei and Tedeschi, Stefano and Kennedy, Andrew (2023) Boosting visual servoing performance through RGB-based methods. Robotic Intelligence and Automation, 43 (4). pp. 468-475.

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Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate and compare the performance of different computer vision algorithms in the context of visual servoing for augmented robot perception and autonomy. Design/methodology/approach The authors evaluated and compared three different approaches: a feature-based approach, a hybrid approach and a machine-learning-based approach. To evaluate the performance of the approaches, experiments were conducted in a simulated environment using the PyBullet physics simulator. The experiments included different levels of complexity, including different numbers of distractors, varying lighting conditions and highly varied object geometry. Findings The experimental results showed that the machine-learning-based approach outperformed the other two approaches in terms of accuracy and robustness. The approach could detect and locate objects in complex scenes with high accuracy, even in the presence of distractors and varying lighting conditions. The hybrid approach showed promising results but was less robust to changes in lighting and object appearance. The feature-based approach performed well in simple scenes but struggled in more complex ones. Originality/value This paper sheds light on the superiority of a hybrid algorithm that incorporates a deep neural network in a feature detector for image-based visual servoing, which demonstrates stronger robustness in object detection and location against distractors and lighting conditions.