Intel adds short-range RealSense D405 depth camera

Yes, you read that headline correctly. There is a new Intel RealSense depth camera on the market. The Intel RealSense D405 Depth Camera ($259) is a short-range stereo camera that the company said provides sub-millimeter accuracy.

The Intel RealSense D405 Depth Camera is designed for robotics applications that require “close range depth sensing.” Some of the ideal applications, according to Intel, include automated inspection and high precision pick and place for small objects at close range.

The Intel RealSense D405 Depth Camera operates at an ideal range of 7 cm to 50 cm with minimum object detection down to .1 mm at 7 cm. It features an 87° × 58° field of view and up to 1280 × 800 depth output resolution. As with all Intel RealSense depth cameras, the D405 can be used both indoors and outdoors.

Click here to see how the new D405 compares to the other Intel RealSense stereo depth camera line, which still includes the D455, D435i, D435 and D415. The D405 is 42 mm x 42 mm x 23 mm and weighs just 60 grams. This is the smallest offering in the D400 series, with Intel pointing out it’s smaller than a golf ball. It lacks an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which is present in the D455, D435i, and D415.

Intel said the D405 is an RGB without a dedicated RGB. It said using an image signal processor (ISP) to enhance the RGB data from the depth sensor allows for matched RGB and depth data. Imaging expert FRAMOS said it will have a demo with the RealSense D405 in its booth at MODEX 2022.

This is the latest twist and turn in the Intel RealSense saga. In August 2021, Intel said it was winding down its RealSense business. And that came as a surprise to multiple RealSense employees The Robot Report spoke to. One source said at the time, “I don’t know how you wind down the RealSense business while still selling RealSense stereo products. This is very frustrating for us.” All of the sources The Robot Report spoke with, by the way, are no longer working at Intel.

Intel also issued an end-of-life (EOL) notice for its RealSense LiDAR, tracking and facial authentication products as part of this wind-down. In this EOL notice, Intel also reiterated that it will “continue to sell the stereo products to current distribution customers.”

Apparently, it’s also once again developing new Intel RealSense stereo depth cameras. 

The Robot Report reached out to Intel for more information about the D405 and the RealSense line going forward. We have yet to hear back.