Terabee is pleased to announce the launch of a new 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth-sensing camera, strengthening the company’s position in the 3D sensing space.
With its compact and robust design, the new 3D camera has been designed to provide developers, researchers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with a versatile and affordable depth-sensing platform. Built for indoor use, it provides 3D data based on an 80×60 pixel depth image by measuring the Time-of-Flight of a light signal between the camera and the subject/object.
Terabee CEO, Max Ruffo explains, “We have been prototyping and working with 3D depth cameras for years now, mostly offering and testing these in customer projects to solve complex and unique robotics and IoT sensing challenges. We’ve developed knowledge and capability in the use and integration of depth sensing technologies in real-life scenarios. In fact, moving into the 3D camera market has been a customer-driven decision for us as we are receiving an increasing amount of inquiries relating to Smart Buildings and IoT. By offering higher pixel resolution and by broadening the cameras detection area, this opens new doors for us, particularly in relation to people and movement monitoring, volume measurement and gesture recognition.”
Specifications & easy integration with OEM applications
The camera offers an 80×60 pixel resolution with a wide 74° x 57° Field of View, running at 30 frames per second. Even with its robust aluminum casing, the camera is still lightweight and compact, weighing just 83 grams. This makes the Terabee 3Dcam 80×60 ideal for applications where space is limited and where bigger and heavier cameras are not suitable. The Terabee camera also features easy mounting options for discrete installations in embedded applications.
Versatile operating range
The camera has two operating modes; one for 0.2m to 1.2m and another for 1.2 to 4.0m. The short range mode is ideal for close-up applications such as hand gesture tracking, while the standard mode is ideal for volume measurements and people monitoring, where large areas need covering.
Privacy protection
Where privacy is a concern, the Terabee 3Dcam 80×60 offers the ideal solution. Terabee 3Dcam collects non-intrusive depth data when monitoring people and their movements meaning that no recognizable image is collected and personal privacy is protected at all times.
Detection in the dark
By using ToF technology, the camera is not dependent on ambient illumination, making it suitable for applications with low light conditions and even complete darkness.
Made for developers
The Terabee 3Dcam 80×60 camera comes with a Software Development Kit containing drivers and sample code to get you started. The kit is easy to set up and test, ensuring depth data can be streamed via USB interface on Windows and Linux OS. The software gives access to OpenNI 1.5 and 2.2 frameworks, including C/C++ and Python sample codes for kick-starting application development. Terabee also provides drivers for Robot Operating System enabling users to build depth applications in the field of robotics.
3D depth sensing applications
Max Ruffo explains, “The range of applications for the Terabee 3Dcam 80×60 is extensive. Our internal applications team have tested the camera in a variety of scenarios, including people flow monitoring in buildings.”
Other potential applications include:
- Smart buildings – occupancy monitoring in rooms; fall detection; responsive display advertising; gesture recognition for device control
- Mobile robotics – Automated guided vehicles (navigation and obstacle avoidance)
- Factory automation – Object counting, classification, position detection; stock level monitoring; volume measurements; human-machine interface control
Max Ruffo continues, “In addition to selling off-the-shelf sensor modules available on www.terabee.com, we also engage in projects with customers that need to solve unique and complex robotics, automation, monitoring, and IoT challenges. This often represents an opportunity to test our products pre-launch. Terabee 3Dcam 80×60 has proven to be a good fit, generating positive customer feedback, and we’re looking forward to deploying it in large volumes!”
Availability
The Terabee 3Dcam 80×60 is priced at € 250 ex. VAT and can be purchased from https://www.terabee.com/shop/3d-tof-cameras/terabee-3dcam/
Video presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dryE__jUoJM
About Terabee
Terabee designs, develops and produces a wide range of sensor modules, including Time-of-Flight distance sensors, 3D depth cameras, and infrared thermal cameras. Their products have gained recognition in robotics, automation, IoT and smart city markets and are known to be small, lightweight and high-performance, offering plug and play capability out of the box.
