Come on and SLAM: Analysis of the Impact of Field of View on Wide-Angle Cameras in SLAM

Abstract: A commercially available camera, consisting of two separate 195 degree field of view fisheye lens cameras, is suggested for use in monocular SLAM. OpenCV’s fisheye camera model was corrected for viewing angles greater than 90 degrees and then implemented in ORB-SLAM2. Then, using the fisheye model as well as MultiCol-SLAM, we demonstrate the benefit of using wide-angle cameras for SLAM. The tracking provided by a wide-angle fisheye lens during sharp rotations outperforms that of conventional perspective cameras. We argue that so long as the camera model is sufficiently accurate, SLAM is able to perform well. By providing a complete image of the environment, Monocular SLAM will be robust to rotation.