Frequently Asked Questions about Intel RealSense Products

Intel® RealSense™ Technology can be used to give devices depth perception capabilities that will enable them to “see” and understand the world around them. There are many uses for these computer vision capabilities including autonomous drones and robots, virtual reality/augmented reality and other broad market capabilities.

Intel® RealSense™ Technology adds the dimension of depth perception to computer vision in Virtual and Augmented Reality. This drives an enhanced presence and environmental awareness that today’s solutions do not deliver. Imagine being able to visualize your real hands in VR, interacting with objects in VR, and using fine gesture based controls. Depth perception enables a greater level of safety and convenience with collision avoidance with real-world objects in VR, knowing precisely the position and size of the objects.

Intel® RealSense™ Tracking Camera T265 can also be used to add six degrees of freedom (6dof) capabilities to any VR or AR device. With high speed, low power pose data, even mobile headsets can easily add SLAM capabilities.

Depth drives more accurate 3D-based object recognition when compared with today’s solutions that largely use 2D image recognition based computer vision. For example, imagine being able visualize your real hands in VR, interacting with objects using fine gestures and experiencing a greater level of safety and convenience with collision avoidance with real-world objects.
In robotics, depth empowers devices to make intelligent decisions by recognizing objects and their dimensions. Facial Authentication on devices like smartphones can be made more secure with depth cameras capturing precise 3D models of subjects. There are many such applications where depth perception adds a critical layer of secure intelligence to computer vision.

The Intel® RealSense™ D400 Product Family is Intel’s best-in-class stereo depth sensing technology, optimized to deliver real-time depth through an enhanced image processing pipeline. Designed for product developers, researchers and OEMs, the Intel® RealSense™ D400 Product family adds depth and intelligence to robotics, VR, mobile phones and home/retail products.

The D400 Product Family consists of three offerings—Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processors, Intel® RealSense™ Depth Modules and the Intel® RealSense™ Depth Cameras D415, D435 and D435i. All are supported with a cross-platform open source Intel® RealSense™ Software Developer Kit that brings depth and intelligence to everyday devices.

The Intel® RealSense™ D400 Product Family gives devices depth perception capabilities that enable them to “see” and understand the world around them. There are many uses for these computer vision capabilities, including autonomous drones and robots, virtual reality/augmented reality, mobile phones and other broad market capabilities in home and retail. To check out a few real world examples of Intel® RealSense™ D400 depth cameras in action, visit our Use Cases page.

Innovators can use the Intel® RealSense™ D400 Product Family to incorporate computer vision into wide-ranging applications. For example, Naked Labs created an innovative fitness tracker combining a scale and a smart mirror that scans your body and maps your body composition. This provides a great way to visualize body changes, track volumetric body fat, and establish body measurements for clothes shopping and weight management.

The Intel® RealSense™ Tracking Camera T265 is a hardware based six degrees of freedom Visual SLAM device. It is a device which can track itself and it's own movement in the world.

It is designed as a standalone peripheral for rapid product iteration. For direct integration into your product, please contact us for options.

The Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor D4 is a purpose-built ASIC designed to deliver stereo depth data. This dedicated vision processor provides real-time depth and enhanced performance through a streamlined image processing pipeline that delivers depth compute, at up to 90fps at VGA resolutions or up to 1280x720 resolution at 30fps. This results in over 27 million depth pixels per second. As a standalone dedicated vision processor, it delivers significantly faster depth compute vs. host-based compute at a fraction of the power.

The Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor D4m is a purpose-built ASIC for computing real-time stereo depth data. The D4m has been I/O and size optimized (4.7 x 3.8mm) for integration into mobile phones. The D4m dedicated vision processor delivers zero latency, real-time depth targeted up to 20.7MP/sec, with support for up to 720x720 resolution at 30fps. The D4m Vision Processor delivers significantly faster real-time depth compute at a fraction of the power, thus offloading much needed compute from the phone SOC, and enabling better system performance and longer battery life. This processor and associated reference design is flexible and able to run on any SOC phone platform.

First and foremost, the D4 Vision Processor is available standalone for custom integration or as an ASIC card, decoupled from the optical stereo module. This means increased design and placement flexibility for our customers. Other key differentiators include:

• Increased performance (up to 90fps and increased resolution)
• Lower power consumption

The Intel® RealSense™ D400 Series Depth Modules are turnkey optical depth solutions that can be paired with the Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor D4 to deliver a depth camera solution that can be integrated into a product. The D400 Series Depth Modules include:

• Multiple offerings (with options including varying baselines, RGB sensors, Rolling or Global Shutter) for more applications across different markets
• Turnkey solutions that are factory calibrated and ready for integration
• Smaller form factors and compact designs
• Improved depth quality, performance and power

The Intel® RealSense™ Depth Module D400 a high-quality depth camera imaging sub-system featuring rolling shutter and a standard field of view (69.4 horizontal x 42.5 degrees vertical) with stereo image sensors. When paired with an Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor D4, it can output depth data over USB. This module is ideal for long-range indoor and outdoor applications without the need for as much motion capture.

The Intel® RealSense™ Depth Module D410 a high-quality depth camera imaging sub-system that features a rolling shutter, standard field of view (69.4 horizontal x 42.5 degrees vertical), stereo image sensors, and an IR projector for adding texture to surfaces that lack visual detail or to get better depth perspective in low-light conditions. When paired with an Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor D4, the D410 can output depth data over USB.

The Intel® RealSense™ Depth Module D415 is a high-quality depth camera imaging sub-system featuring a rolling shutter, standard field of view (69.4 horizontal x 42.5 degrees vertical) stereo image sensors, an RGB sensor and an IR projector for adding texture to surfaces that lack visual detail or to provide better depth perspective in low-light conditions. When paired with an Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor, the D415 is able to output depth data over USB.

The Intel® RealSense™ Depth Module D420 a high-quality depth camera imaging sub-system featuring a wide field of view (91.2 horizontal x 65.5 degrees vertical) and global shutter stereo image sensors. When paired with an Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor, the D420 can output depth data over USB.

The Intel® RealSenseTM Depth Module D430 a high-quality depth camera imaging sub-system featuring a wide field of view (91.2 horizontal x 65.5 degrees vertical), global shutter stereo image sensors and an IR projector for adding texture to surfaces that lack visual detail or to provide better depth sensing in low-light conditions. When paired with an Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor, the D430 can output depth data over USB.

The D400 Series Modules offer:

• Multiple offerings for more applications across different markets
• A factory calibrated, turnkey solution
• A smaller form factor and compact designs
• Improved depth quality, performance and power

The D400 series modules are designed for easy integration into larger systems, and intended for experienced designers, OEMs and SIs. These turnkey solutions can be up and running in minutes and are perfect for indoor/outdoor and long-range applications that requiring little motion capture.

The module offers a TeraFLOP of performance at under 1.5W Watts of power. Performance accuracy depends on lighting conditions, object distance, etc., but generally speaking, the D400 series modules have <2% depth error rates up to 4m and close to 100% pixel fill factor.

These depth cameras are ideal for indoors and outdoors uses, since Intel® RealSense™ technology uses both visible and infrared light. These capabilities provide plenty of visual information for the stereo algorithm in the Intel® RealSense™ Vision Processor D4 to match to. The D400 Series Family also includes a laser projector on our active modules and cameras—providing additional textural detail in situations with low light or zero visual detail. The D400 and D420 are ideal for outdoor use, while the D410 and D430 are designed for indoor use.

Some of the D400 Depth Modules have an IR projector that provides additional textural detail in scenarios where there is low light or no visual detail (such as a flat surface).

The key differences between the D400 series modules include:

With a growing number of products joining the Intel® RealSense™ Product family, here is how to understand our naming conventions for all of our products.

For any product, the first letter signifies the type of technology. For example:

D = Stereo Depth

T = Tracking

SR = Short Range/Coded Light

Following that first letter, the first number signifies the product generation. Note that this is specific to the generation of that technology and does not necessarily extend across different technologies. For example, the T200 series devices are more recent than SR300 technologies. This number can also be used to refer to a specific Intel RealSense ASIC, e.g. the D4 ASIC is the chip which can be found in all D400 series devices.

The second number signifies the module configuration. For example, the D430 module is the same module as that which can be found in the D435 depth camera.

The third and final number determines whether the device is a peripheral camera or simply a module.

0-4 = module

5-9 = peripheral

Any additional letters will indicate a specific technology added to an existing product line, e.g. D435i is a D435 with an IMU added.