Toward an analog very large scale integration system for perceiving depth through motion parallax

We describe the development of an analog very large scale integration (AVLSI) system for perceiving depth of a stationary object, termed the depth through motion parallax (DTMP) system. The system consists of an AVLSI smart focal plane array and an optical lens, with a laser system for the object. The DTMP integrated circuit is implemented using the AMI Semiconductor 1.5-μm process available through the MOSIS integrated circuit fabrication service. The DTMP chip and the lens are mounted on a single motion-controlled stage to mimic the human head and eye. The object is mounted on a different motion stage and is manually moved to different depths with respect to the lens. We report experimental results obtained for depth perception with the head being stationary and the object moving with a constant velocity that is geometrically equivalent to the object being stationary and the head moving with a constant velocity. Our results show that the transit time across the DTMP chip, which is equivalent to the perceived velocity, can be used to determine the depth of an object, and uses less than 2 mW of average power.