MATLAB – Image Edge Detection using Robert Operator from Scratch

Robert Operator: This gradient-based operator computes the sum of squares of the differences between diagonally adjacent pixels in an image through discrete differentiation. Then the gradient approximation is made. It uses the following 2 x 2 kernels or masks –

Approach:

Step 1: Input – Read an image
Step 2: Convert the true-color RGB image to the grayscale image
Step 3: Convert the image to double
Step 4: Pre-allocate the filtered_image matrix with zeros
Step 5: Define Robert Operator Mask
Step 6: Edge Detection Process (Compute Gradient approximation and magnitude of vector)
Step 7: Display the filtered image
Step 8: Thresholding on the filtered image
Step 9: Display the edge-detected image

Implementation in MATLAB:

% MATLAB Code | Robert Operator from Scratch

% Read Input Image
input_image = imread('[name of input image file].[file format]');

% Displaying Input Image
input_image = uint8(input_image);
figure, imshow(input_image); title('Input Image');

% Convert the truecolor RGB image to the grayscale image
input_image = rgb2gray(input_image);

% Convert the image to double
input_image = double(input_image);

% Pre-allocate the filtered_image matrix with zeros
filtered_image = zeros(size(input_image));

% Robert Operator Mask
Mx = [1 0; 0 -1];
My = [0 1; -1 0];

% Edge Detection Process
% When i = 1 and j = 1, then filtered_image pixel
% position will be filtered_image(1, 1)
% The mask is of 2x2, so we need to traverse
% to filtered_image(size(input_image, 1) - 1
%, size(input_image, 2) - 1)
for i = 1:size(input_image, 1) - 1
    for j = 1:size(input_image, 2) - 1

        % Gradient approximations
        Gx = sum(sum(Mx.*input_image(i:i+1, j:j+1)));
        Gy = sum(sum(My.*input_image(i:i+1, j:j+1)));

        % Calculate magnitude of vector
        filtered_image(i, j) = sqrt(Gx.^2 + Gy.^2);

    end
end

% Displaying Filtered Image
filtered_image = uint8(filtered_image);
figure, imshow(filtered_image); title('Filtered Image');

% Define a threshold value
thresholdValue = 100; % varies between [0 255]
output_image = max(filtered_image, thresholdValue);
output_image(output_image == round(thresholdValue)) = 0;

% Displaying Output Image
output_image = im2bw(output_image);
figure, imshow(output_image); title('Edge Detected Image');

Input Image –

Filtered Image:

Edge Detected Image:

Advantages:

1. Detection of edges and orientation are very easy
2. Diagonal direction points are preserved

Limitations:

1. Very sensitive to noise
2. Not very accurate in edge detection