View-based imitation with rotation invariant pan-tilt stereo cameras

In our previous work (2000), we have developed a method for visual imitation by recovering the demonstrator´s view based on the stereo epipolar constraint. The method is applied to the stationary pair of the stereo cameras, therefore, the visual fields to observe the motions of both the demonstrator and the learner are limited. This paper presents a method to extend our previous work by adopting a pair of rotation invariant stereo cameras that has pan and tilt motions without changing the optical center, therefore, the stereo epipolar equation does not change. The spherical projection is used to represent the constraint. The experimental results obtained are shown.