# Visual Navigation Using Sparse Optical Flow and Time-to-Transit

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.09669 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.09669/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 18 Nov 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [NeRF-VIO: Map-Based Visual-Inertial Odometry with Initialization Leveraging Neural Radiance Fields](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.07952/) (2025)
- [VBGS-SLAM: Variational Bayesian Gaussian Splatting Simultaneous Localization and Mapping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.02696/) (2026)
- [Vision-based localization methods under GPS-denied conditions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.11988/) (2022)
- [An Efficient Approach for Muscle Segmentation and 3D Reconstruction Using Keypoint Tracking in MRI Scan](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.08690/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Drawing inspiration from biology, we describe the way in which visual sensing with a monocular camera can provide a reliable signal for navigation of mobile robots. The work takes inspiration from a classic paper by Lee and Reddish (Nature, 1981, https://doi.org/10.1038/293293a0) in which they outline a behavioral strategy pursued by diving sea birds based on a visual cue called time-to-contact. A closely related concept of time-to-transit, tau, is defined, and it is shown that idealized steering laws based on monocular camera perceptions of tau can reliably and robustly steer a mobile vehicle within a wide variety of spaces in which features perceived to lie on walls and other objects in the environment provide adequate visual cues. The contribution of the paper is two-fold. It provides a simple theory of robust vision-based steering control. It goes on to show how the theory guides the implementation of robust visual navigation using ROS-Gazebo simulations as well as deployment and experiments with a camera-equipped Jackal robot. As far as we know, the experiments described below are the first to demonstrate visual navigation based on tau.