REAL-TIME VIDEO MOSAICKING OF THE OCEAN-FLOOR

An approach was developed for real time creation of video mosaics of t he ocean floor. The approach uses visual correspondence during both im age acquisition and consolidation to insure that there are no gaps in the mosaic. The use of visual information for mosaic creation offers a n accuracy previously unachievable in real time. A complete mosaicking approach was developed, including a technique for image registration and several strategies for image acquisition control. The approach was implemented and tested experimentally. Ocean-floor mosaics were creat ed in real time using a remotely-operated vehicle. In addition, extens ive mosaicking experiments were conducted in a test-tank environment u sing a semiautonomous underwater robot.