Application of thermal infrared stereo vision in fire environments

This paper discusses the application of thermal infrared stereo vision for distance mapping in fire environments for mobile robotic systems and humans. The capabilities of thermal infrared stereo vision are presented. The relationship between the development of thermal IR stereo vision systems and the development of visual stereo vision systems is discussed. Aspects of thermal infrared stereo vision that require a different approach than visual stereo vision systems are then presented with a discussion of techniques used to address these items. A comparison of a thermal IR stereo vision system with an off-the-shelf visual stereo vision system is provided.