Video-based Foreign Object Debris detection

Foreign Object Debris (FOD) at airports can pose a perennial hazard to the safety and integrity of an aircraft. This paper describes a video-based experimental system used for FOD detection application. The system design philosophy is to investigate the viability of using several simpler fixed camera sensors mounted close to the runway to detect FOD. A FOD target detection algorithm based on image change detection is proposed. Tests were conducted on the Nanyang Airport and some preliminary experimental results are also presented to demonstrate the feasibility of our designed algorithm.