Sensors (Nov 2023)

Image Feature Detectors in Agricultural Harvesting: An Evaluation

  • Zhihong Cui,
  • Lizhang Xu,
  • Yang Yu,
  • Xiaoyu Chai,
  • Qian Zhang,
  • Peng Liu,
  • Jinpeng Hu,
  • Yang Li,
  • Haiwen Chen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/s23239497
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 23
p. 9497

Abstract

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Image feature detection serves as the cornerstone for numerous vision applications, and it has found extensive use in agricultural harvesting. Nevertheless, determining the optimal feature extraction technique for a specific situation proves challenging, as the Ground Truth correlation between images is exceedingly elusive in harsh agricultural harvesting environments. In this study, we assemble and make publicly available the inaugural agricultural harvesting dataset, encompassing four crops: rice, corn and soybean, wheat, and rape. We develop an innovative Ground Truth-independent feature detector assessment approach that amalgamates efficiency, repeatability, and feature distribution. We examine eight distinct feature detectors and conduct a thorough evaluation using the amassed dataset. The empirical findings indicate that the FAST detector and ASLFeat yield the most exceptional performance in agricultural harvesting contexts. This evaluation establishes a trustworthy bedrock for the astute identification and application of feature extraction techniques in diverse crop reaping situations.

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