Seeing in Parallel: the Vision Machine

Computer algorithms have been developed for early vision processes that give separate cues to the distance from the viewer of three-dimensional surfaces, their shape, and their material properties. The MIT Vision Machine is a computer system that integrates several early vision modules to achieve high-performance rec ognition and navigation in unstructured environments. It is also an experimental environment for theoretical progress in early vision algorithms, their parallel imple mentation, and their integration. The Vision Machine consists of a movable, two-camera Eye-Head input de vice and an 8K Connection Machine. We have developed and implemented several parallel early vision algorithms that compute edge detection, stereopsis, motion, texture, and surface color in close to real time. The integration stage, based on coupled Markov random field models, leads to a cartoon-like map of the discontinuities in the scene, with partial labeling of the brightness edges in terms of their physical origin.