Total absolute Gaussian curvature for stereo prior

In spite of the great progress in stereo matching algorithms, the prior models they use, i.e., the assumptions about the probability to see each possible surface, have not changed much in three decades. Here, we introduce a novel prior model motivated by psychophysical experiments. It is based on minimizing the total sum of the absolute value of the Gaussian curvature over the disparity surface. Intuitively, it is similar to rolling and bending a flexible paper to fit to the stereo surface, whereas the conventional prior is more akin to spanning a soap film. Through controlled experiments, we show that the new prior outperforms the conventional models, when compared in the equal setting.