SwarmVision: autonomous aesthetic multi-camera interaction

Abstract

A platform of exploratory networked robotic cameras was created, informing new directions in computer vision engineering and utilizing an aesthetic approach to experimentation. Initiated by research in autonomous swarm robotic camera behavior, SwarmVision is an installation consisting of multiple Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras on rails positioned above spectators in an exhibition space, where each camera behaves autonomously based on its own rules of computer vision and control. Each of the cameras is programmed to detect visual information of interest based on a different algorithm, and each negotiates with the other two, influencing what subject matter to study in a collective way. The emergent behaviors of the system suggest potential new approaches in scene reconstruction, video-based behavior analysis and other areas of vision and imaging research.