Texas Instruments’ Vision Comparison
I recently noticed that Texas Instruments (TI) updated their Time-of-Flight (ToF) imaging web page, and I was pleased to see that they also included a comparison with Stereoscopic systems, which is one of EDGE3’s specialties. I concede that not all machine vision technologies can satisfy every use-case, but I would like to get the facts straight with respect to Stereoscopic Vision. EDGE3’s proprietary and patented software approach dramatically improves upon what TI claims to be the technology’s capabilities, so I thought I’d take the liberty to help correct their table with industry validated detail.
Lastly, what seems to be missing from the table are two very important considerations:
Cost: Given that EDGE3 doesn’t use any customized or exotic hardware, the cost is typically an order of magnitude less expensive than ToF.
Form Factor: Because Stereoscopic vision just relies on two cameras there is a tremendous amount of flexibility when designing and embedding in new devices.
I have a lot of respect for TI, but was surprised to see them touting technology that requires an expensive custom chip, an active light source, needs to be plugged into a wall, and doesn’t work in bright light or sunlight. Sure, there are some nice use cases where cost, power consumption and lighting conditions don’t matter all that much, but in today’s world where mobility is king and cost effective solutions are appreciated, it doesn’t seem to me that ToF is all that attractive.
