David Stoppa of FBK previews his workshop on 3D imaging
01 February 2012
Q: Please briefly describe your background in image sensors/imaging systems?
A: I have been working on image sensors design for more than twelve years within the Smart Optical Sensors and Interfaces research unit at FBK where we are developing image sensors along four main research lines, namely: single-photon detection, multispectral imagers, low-power computational imaging and 3D cameras.
Q: Your workshop will take an in depth look at 3D imaging - what are the milestones this technology has experienced over recent years?
A: Although first examples of time-of-flight imagers have been developed in the 90s and commercial products have been available since 2001, we have only assisted over the last two years in a race toward high spatial resolution 3D image sensors exploiting CMOS imaging technologies. VGA resolution, the use of pinned photodiode technology, and the combination of colour 2D imaging with range imaging are just a few examples of the vitality in this research domain.
Q: We are aware of the commercial cinema and gaming applications - what other opportunities are there in 3D imaging and are they coming soon or are they distant goals?
A: With respect to conventional 2D vision systems, 3D cameras could offer amazing possibilities of improvement in many areas like automotive, security and surveillance, cultural heritage preservation, ambient-assisted living, industrial control and so on. This is because they significantly increase the robustness of object classification, avoiding the time and energy consuming post-processing steps. In many applications where power consumption is not a major issue we will see a rapid spread of 3D camera technology over the next few years, in addition to next generation user interfaces based on gesture control relying on 3D imaging technology.
Q: What are the main barriers to more widespread uptake of this technology and what are the main focuses and technical challenges?
A: It has been recently demonstrated that other 3D imaging technologies (Kinect) having a similar level of system complexity entered mass markets at incredibly low cost. In the past, Time-of-Flight cameras were intended for industrial control applications where a reliable measurement system was needed and system cost was not the main concern. Nowadays, ToF technology holds all the key features to enter consumer electronics markets although some important challenges are still open, above all the reduction of the system power consumption in order to successfully implement 3D on portable devices.
Q: Finally, we are pleased to have you on board for the conference this year, what are you hoping to gain from the conference?
A: This is a great opportunity for us to discuss and interact with people working in the image sensor market and to take a perspective on the future in this domain.
Dr David Stoppa and colleauges from Fondazione Bruno Kessler will be delivering a pre-conference workshop entitled Sensors Architectures for 3D Time-of-Flight Imaging on Tuesday 20th March at 9am.