The Mobile AR Sensor Logger for Android and iOS Devices

Problem

It is often cumbersome to access the original and complete data from the mobile AR (augmented reality) sensors - the camera and IMU (inertial measurement unit). And it typically involves a steep learning curve to develop a logging tool meeting such requirements as reasonable synchronization and providing sensor characteristics.

Method

The mobile AR sensor (MARS) logger is developed with standard APIs (application programmable interfaces).

Key results

• Image frames are recorded efficiently with the standard APIs of mobile OSs. In the normal operation mode, frames can be recorded at about 30 Hz over tens of minutes with moderately priced mobile devices.
• Rich metadata of frames relevant to SLAM are saved if supported by the devices, including rolling shutter skew and focus distance. In the same spirit, the frames are recorded with auto-focus and auto-exposure locked to suit SLAM methods.
• Both IMU data and image frames are timestamped and synchronized to one time source.