Benefits

Enabling

Focus Robotics nDepth™ stereo vision processor is an excellent solution for adding low cost, real-time depth perception to new and existing products. With integrated depth perception, products can interact with and monitor the environment in ways more similar to humans. Using our stereo cores in an FPGA or ASIC along with and a pair of standard camera sensors, products get the depth information needed to measure objects, track objects, and even avoid objects in real-time. Examples of applications include mobile robot navigation, people tracking, gesture recognition, targeting, 3D surface visualization, immersive and interactive gaming, and more.

Practical

Many other means of gathering depth information fail to be practical. A laser range finder's price of seven to ten thousand dollars, for example, is too expensive for many products. Complex systems of mechanical mirrors and servos are then needed in order to cover an entire area. Likewise, even the very best software stereo system yields less then 3 frames per second on a 752x480 image even on a dedicated 3GHz Pentium class processor. The power usage, size, and cost of a PC that only provides 3 frames of depth is too high for many products. In contrast, with standard camera sensors the nDepth™ stereo vision processor provides up to 1024x1024 pixels of depth information at a rate of up to 30 frames per second all in a low cost, low power FPGA .

Feature Rich

  • Up to 30 frames per second of 1024x1024 depth information provides superior performance.
  • Good accuracy and error removal for a variety of scene conditions fosters a wide range of use.
  • Camera calibration, depth searching and error removal implemented in the processor lessens the demand on the host computer.
  • Hardware optimizations enable use of low cost, low power FPGAs such as the Xilinx Spartan3. No fan or heatsink is required.
  • Implementation in programmable hardware allows for future upgrades and expansion.
  • PCI and high speed serial ports provide both selection and standards for integrating with the processor.
  • Complete solid state design with no moving parts ensure ruggedness.
  • Optional sale as IP core allows integration in existing FPGA hardware or volume ASIC production.