Image Tracking in Real-time: A Transputer Emulation of Some Early Mammalian Vision Processes

By emulating some of the 'early' vision processes believed to occur in the visual cortex of mammals, dramatic savings can be made in the computational efforts usually associated with image processing. This paper describes the design and implementation of a low-cost visual tracking system that uses no special signal processing, vector processing nor floatingpoint hardware. Its effectiveness relies only on the parallel replication of fast sealer integer processors with low latency communications. The current implementation uses 10 T425 transputers, processes 544 x 544 byte-pixel images at camera frame rates and provides 100 Hz. tracking feedback signals to the camera pan-and-tilt motors with a latency of no more than one-fifth of a second. The system will track any object that occupies the (majority of the) centre of the field of view moving against any background — no special lighting conditions or artificial scenery are required. The design and implementation follow naturally parallel structures and are expressed at all levels in occam.