Assessing the Potential of Low-Cost 3D Cameras for the Rapid Measurement of Plant Woody Structure

Sensors

Charles A Nock¹  Olivier Taugourdeau¹  Sylvain Delagrange² 

[1] Departement des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada; E-Mail:;Departement of Natural Sciences, University of Quebec in Outaouais (UQO), 58 Main Street, Ripon, QC J0V 1W0, Canada; E-Mails:

关键词: 3D plant measurement;    Microsoft Kinect;    Asus Xtion Pro Live;    stem diameter;    branch diameter;    3D camera;    canopy structure;    point clouds;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s131216216

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Detailed 3D plant architectural data have numerous applications in plant science, but many existing approaches for 3D data collection are time-consuming and/or require costly equipment. Recently, there has been rapid growth in the availability of low-cost, 3D cameras and related open source software applications. 3D cameras may provide measurements of key components of plant architecture such as stem diameters and lengths, however, few tests of 3D cameras for the measurement of plant architecture have been conducted. Here, we measured Salix branch segments ranging from 2–13 mm in diameter with an Asus Xtion camera to quantify the limits and accuracy of branch diameter measurement with a 3D camera. By scanning at a variety of distances we also quantified the effect of scanning distance. In addition, we also test the sensitivity of the program KinFu for continuous 3D object scanning and modeling as well as other similar software to accurately record stem diameters and capture plant form (<3 m in height). Given its ability to accurately capture the diameter of branches >6 mm, Asus Xtion may provide a novel method for the collection of 3D data on the branching architecture of woody plants. Improvements in camera measurement accuracy and available software are likely to further improve the utility of 3D cameras for plant sciences in the future.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.