A Review of Research and Applications of OpenCV in Robotic Arm Grasping Vision Systems
Review Article  ·  Published: 24 September 2026
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ICCK Transactions on Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems
Volume 1, Issue 3, 2026: 104-112
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A Review of Research and Applications of OpenCV in Robotic Arm Grasping Vision Systems

1 College of Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China
* Corresponding Author: Rui Du, [email protected]
Volume 1, Issue 3
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Abstract

This paper reviews the OpenCV-based vision system for robotic-arm grasping across three core modules-camera calibration, image preprocessing and recognition, and binocular 3D reconstruction-together with lightweight deployment on embedded platforms. Using the calib3d module, monocular, binocular, and hand-eye calibration procedures are described, which correct lens distortion and unify coordinate frames and thereby address grasping-positioning errors. Image processing algorithms, including grayscale transformation, Gaussian and median filtering, Otsu segmentation, and feature matching, are compared for static and dynamic assembly-line scenarios. Binocular stereo matching generates disparity maps for depth recovery and 6-DoF pose estimation, supporting peg-in-hole assembly and obstacle avoidance. For embedded platforms (Raspberry Pi, TQ210, and STM32-based systems), optimization strategies such as library pruning and reduced image resolution or disparity search range are summarized to improve real-time performance. The review indicates that OpenCV-based solutions are open-source, low-cost, and portable, and are suitable for conventional grasping tasks; however, their robustness remains limited under strong illumination and occlusion. Integrating deep learning, multi-sensor fusion, and online hand--eye calibration are suggested to extend their applicability to complex environments.

Graphical Abstract

A Review of Research and Applications of OpenCV in Robotic Arm Grasping Vision Systems

Keywords

OpenCV robotic arm machine vision camera calibration lightweight embedded deployment

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Funding

This work was supported without any funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

AI Use Statement

The author declares that DeepSeek was used for translation of the manuscript from Chinese into English. The authors have carefully reviewed, revised, and verified the AI-assisted output and take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable.

References

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Cite This Article

APA Style
Du, R. (2026). A Review of Research and Applications of OpenCV in Robotic Arm Grasping Vision Systems. ICCK Transactions on Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems, 1(3), 104-112. https://doi.org/10.62762/TICPS.2026.513798
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TY  - JOUR
AU  - Du, Rui
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/24
TI  - A Review of Research and Applications of OpenCV in Robotic Arm Grasping Vision Systems
JO  - ICCK Transactions on Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems
T2  - ICCK Transactions on Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems
JF  - ICCK Transactions on Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems
VL  - 1
IS  - 3
SP  - 104
EP  - 112
DO  - 10.62762/TICPS.2026.513798
UR  - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/TICPS.2026.513798
KW  - OpenCV
KW  - robotic arm
KW  - machine vision
KW  - camera calibration
KW  - lightweight embedded deployment
AB  - This paper reviews the OpenCV-based vision system for robotic-arm grasping across three core modules-camera calibration, image preprocessing and recognition, and binocular 3D reconstruction-together with lightweight deployment on embedded platforms. Using the calib3d module, monocular, binocular, and hand-eye calibration procedures are described, which correct lens distortion and unify coordinate frames and thereby address grasping-positioning errors. Image processing algorithms, including grayscale transformation, Gaussian and median filtering, Otsu segmentation, and feature matching, are compared for static and dynamic assembly-line scenarios. Binocular stereo matching generates disparity maps for depth recovery and 6-DoF pose estimation, supporting peg-in-hole assembly and obstacle avoidance. For embedded platforms (Raspberry Pi, TQ210, and STM32-based systems), optimization strategies such as library pruning and reduced image resolution or disparity search range are summarized to improve real-time performance. The review indicates that OpenCV-based solutions are open-source, low-cost, and portable, and are suitable for conventional grasping tasks; however, their robustness remains limited under strong illumination and occlusion. Integrating deep learning, multi-sensor fusion, and online hand--eye calibration are suggested to extend their applicability to complex environments.
SN  - 3071-2947
PB  - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA  - English
ER  - 
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@article{Du2026A,
  author = {Rui Du},
  title = {A Review of Research and Applications of OpenCV in Robotic Arm Grasping Vision Systems},
  journal = {ICCK Transactions on Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems},
  year = {2026},
  volume = {1},
  number = {3},
  pages = {104-112},
  doi = {10.62762/TICPS.2026.513798},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/TICPS.2026.513798},
  abstract = {This paper reviews the OpenCV-based vision system for robotic-arm grasping across three core modules-camera calibration, image preprocessing and recognition, and binocular 3D reconstruction-together with lightweight deployment on embedded platforms. Using the calib3d module, monocular, binocular, and hand-eye calibration procedures are described, which correct lens distortion and unify coordinate frames and thereby address grasping-positioning errors. Image processing algorithms, including grayscale transformation, Gaussian and median filtering, Otsu segmentation, and feature matching, are compared for static and dynamic assembly-line scenarios. Binocular stereo matching generates disparity maps for depth recovery and 6-DoF pose estimation, supporting peg-in-hole assembly and obstacle avoidance. For embedded platforms (Raspberry Pi, TQ210, and STM32-based systems), optimization strategies such as library pruning and reduced image resolution or disparity search range are summarized to improve real-time performance. The review indicates that OpenCV-based solutions are open-source, low-cost, and portable, and are suitable for conventional grasping tasks; however, their robustness remains limited under strong illumination and occlusion. Integrating deep learning, multi-sensor fusion, and online hand--eye calibration are suggested to extend their applicability to complex environments.},
  keywords = {OpenCV, robotic arm, machine vision, camera calibration, lightweight embedded deployment},
  issn = {3071-2947},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}

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