Absolute speed estimation from sequential frames of omni-directional image

For autonomous navigation, the omni-directional camera is a suitable sensor for capturing a 360 degree image without any dead angles. In this paper, we propose a new image-based absolute (translational and/or rotational) speed measurement method using sequential frames of an omni-directional image. The proposed method demonstrates the omni-directional camera´s ability to function not only as a vision sensor but also as a speedometer. The validity of the proposed method was examined in real field images.