Optimal stereo mast configuration for mobile robots

Planning the placement of stereo cameras on a mobile robot is often a balancing act between the quality of stereo data, the reliability of stereo matching, and ensuring that the cameras see enough of the robot´s environment for navigation. In this paper, we present a nonlinear programming formulation to determine the optimal parameters for two stereo pairs of cameras and a camera mast for a mobile robot. We have applied this method to the design of a stereo camera mast for Nomad, a prototype rover currently under construction at Carnegie Mellon University, and present the results of designing that mast