Planar catadioptric stereo: geometry and calibration

By using mirror reflections of a scene, stereo images can be captured with a single camera (catadioptric stereo). Single camera stereo provides both geometric and radiometric advantages over traditional two camera stereo. In this paper we discuss the geometry and calibration of catadioptric stereo with two planar mirrors and show how the relative orientation, the epipolar geometry and the estimation of the focal length are constrained by planar motion. In addition, we have implemented a real-time system which demonstrates the viability of stereo with mirrors as an alternative to traditional two camera stereo.