cs.ROJun 8, 2026

Stabilizing Fast Dynamical Systems Using Time-of-Flight Cameras

Authors: Anthony CzubarowAntonio TerpinRaffaello D'Andrea

Organizations: Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Abstract

Time-of-flight cameras are popular in robotics because they provide direct depth information and are compact, inexpensive, and less dependent on ambient visible light. However, their low spatial resolution and depth noise raise questions about their suitability for stabilizing fast, unstable dynamics. In this paper, we show that an inexpensive, low-resolution time-of-flight camera can provide angle feedback for reliable and precise balancing of an inverted pendulum on a cart, a canonical control benchmark. These results open the door to using compact, inexpensive, low-resolution time-of-flight cameras for precise feedback control of fast, unstable systems.

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