RGB-D (Depth) Cameras for $100 in sight?
I love it when toys of the big boys finally become everyone’s.
According to Hizook’s blog, mass-affordable cameras that offer depth perception (aka RGB-D or “ranging” cameras) may finally hit the store shelves this year. This statement echoes what Dr. Deiter Fox of Intel Research Labs has proclaimed during his presentation last January at the 17th Annual Robotics Industry Forum. Specifically, Dr. Fox predicts that the new RGB-D cameras could retail for under $100 in 2010 along with other low-cost sensors, paving a path for affordable personal robots for the home.
To achieve this incredible cost-reduction, the upcoming RGB-D cameras will no doubt be based on custom chips such as the PrimeSensor SoC chip which is rumored to sell for $20-$30 in volume. Here is a block diagram of the PrimeSensor reference design.
System block diagram showing how the PrimeSensor is used. Credit: PrimeSense Inc. (www.primesense.com)
I encourage you to visit Hizook’s blog and watch the cool vids. You’ll thank yourself for it.
[...] is the chip that I spoke about in my last blog, that allows for low-cost ranging camera to finally become a consumer product. Expect to see this [...]