Real-time surface following for teleoperation in virtual environments

Surface following is achieved through the repetitive computation of the necessary 6 degree-of-freedom pose of an object for it to rest on the contour of a surface. This is needed for the simulation of a 3D vehicle "riding" over virtual terrain. A novel algorithm is described allowing real-time following of the contour of a surface represented by range images, or point clouds. The developed algorithm is robust enough to compensate for holes or discontinuities in range images by filling in these discontinuities through surface approximation. Using a grid representation, the information is compressed into a lookup table allowing for real-time operation. A three-point representation of the base of an object following the surface contour is used to determine the pose of an object in a given position over the grid.