Structured Polarization for Invisible Depth and Reflectance Sensing

Core Concepts

A novel depth and reflectance sensing method using structured light of polarized light, which enables completely stealth measurement of 3D shape, surface normals, and reflectance.

Abstract

The paper introduces Structured Polarization, a first-of-its-kind depth and reflectance sensing method using structured light of polarized light, referred to as SPIDeRS. The key idea is to project structured light patterns of varied angle of linear polarization (AoLP). By using structured polarization patterns and an RGB-polarimetric camera, the method can realize invisible depth and texture capture. Polarization also enables direct recovery of surface normals and reflectance properties of the target surface.
The authors implement SPIDeRS by assembling a projector-camera system with an RGB-polarimetric camera and a polarization projector whose AoLP can be controlled in the throw at each pixel. They derive a novel method to accurately decode the reflected AoLP structured pattern, accounting for ambient light and polarimetric reflection.
The results show that the method successfully reconstructs object shapes of various materials and is robust to diffuse reflection and ambient light. It can also estimate the reflectance and per-pixel surface normals, which can be used for relighting the object. The authors believe SPIDeRS opens a new avenue of research and practical use of polarization in visual sensing.

Stats

The depth reconstruction accuracy of our method is comparable to classic structured light using intensity, with mean and median errors of 0.49/0.31 mm and 0.36/0.24 mm in the absence and presence of ambient light, respectively.

Quotes

"Can we make shape and texture capture invisible? Is there a way to simultaneously recover the reflectance of the target such that we can even relight the object? Such a system will make real-world object capture for downstream applications completely stealth, creating a large opportunity for effective communication (xR systems), advertisement, robotics, art, and nondestructive inspection, such as live scene editing and always-on change detection."
"Polarization also gives us two advantages that none of the past visible or IR structured light methods have. The first is that the surface normals can be directly recovered providing dense fine details of the target surface. This is in sharp contrast to regular depth sensing where the normals can only be obtained from the triangulated depth, which is inevitably noisy due to the differentiation. The second is that we can also estimate the reflectance properties of the target surface from the polarimetric object appearance."

Key Insights Distilled From

SPIDeRS

by Tomoki Ichik... at arxiv.org 04-02-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2312.04553.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can the proposed structured polarization sensing be extended to capture dynamic scenes in real-time

To extend the proposed structured polarization sensing to capture dynamic scenes in real-time, several considerations need to be addressed. Firstly, the speed of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) used for modulating the angle of linear polarization (AoLP) would need to be optimized for rapid changes in the projected patterns. This could involve enhancing the refresh rate of the SLM or exploring alternative technologies that can modulate polarization at higher speeds.
Additionally, the synchronization between the projector and the polarimetric camera needs to be carefully managed to ensure accurate reconstruction of dynamic scenes. This may involve implementing efficient algorithms for pattern projection and image capture, as well as real-time processing of the polarimetric data to extract depth, surface normals, and reflectance information.
Furthermore, the system would need to handle motion blur caused by the movement of objects in the scene. Techniques such as temporal filtering or motion compensation could be employed to mitigate the effects of motion blur and ensure accurate reconstruction of dynamic scenes.
Overall, extending the structured polarization sensing method to capture dynamic scenes in real-time would require a combination of hardware enhancements, algorithm optimizations, and synchronization strategies to achieve fast and accurate 3D reconstruction.

What are the limitations of the current method in handling highly specular or transparent surfaces, and how could these be addressed in future work

The current method may face limitations when dealing with highly specular or transparent surfaces due to the challenges in capturing structured light patterns and extracting accurate polarimetric information. Highly specular surfaces can reflect light in a concentrated manner, making it difficult to recover depth and surface information accurately. Transparent surfaces may refract light, leading to distortions in the structured light patterns and affecting the polarization information obtained.
To address these limitations, future work could explore the use of advanced polarimetric imaging techniques, such as multi-view polarimetry or polarization-sensitive imaging, to enhance the robustness of the method in handling highly specular or transparent surfaces. By incorporating multiple viewpoints or polarization channels, the system could gather more comprehensive information about the surface properties and improve the accuracy of reconstruction.
Moreover, the development of specialized algorithms for handling specular highlights and transparent regions in the polarimetric data could help mitigate the challenges posed by these surfaces. Techniques like adaptive filtering, polarization deconvolution, or surface segmentation based on polarization cues could be explored to improve the reconstruction quality for such challenging surfaces.

Given the ability to recover surface normals and reflectance, how could this technology be leveraged for applications in augmented reality, robotics, or computational photography beyond just 3D reconstruction

The ability to recover surface normals and reflectance using structured polarization sensing opens up a wide range of applications beyond traditional 3D reconstruction. In augmented reality (AR), this technology could be leveraged to enhance virtual object interactions by providing more realistic lighting effects based on the estimated reflectance properties. By relighting virtual objects in real-time according to the surrounding environment, AR experiences could be significantly enhanced in terms of visual realism and immersion.
In robotics, the recovered surface normals and reflectance information could be utilized for object recognition, manipulation, and navigation tasks. Robots equipped with structured polarization sensors could better understand the properties of the objects in their environment, leading to improved object detection and interaction capabilities.
In computational photography, the technology could enable advanced image editing and scene understanding capabilities. By incorporating surface normals and reflectance data into image processing algorithms, photographers and digital artists could have more control over lighting effects, material appearance, and scene composition. This could lead to the development of novel image editing tools and techniques for creative expression and visual storytelling.