Stereolabs has announced the launch of ZED-X, a stereo camera designed for robotic navigation and process automation in indoor and outdoor environments.
Powered and supported by Stereolabs software ecosystem, ZED-X supports commercial deployments of robots in construction, logistics, ag and last-mile delivery. By fusing 3D spatial data from multiple ZED-X stereo cameras, Stereolabs’ perception platform allows robots to navigate and detect obstacles in complex environments.
Powered by ZED-X
With its IP66-rated aluminum enclosure, GMSL2 connection and native multi-camera synchronization, the ZED-X is built for production-scale deployments of autonomous robots under rugged conditions. With the ZED SDK and the ZED Hub multi-camera control platform, the ZED-X delivers capabilities for 3D perception, including 360-degree depth sensing, localization, object detection and skeleton tracking.
The ZED-X camera is fit for manufacturers ready to mass produce robots for industrial and outdoor environments. Available in two form factors, the ZED-X and the ZED-X Mini, the stereo cameras provide 3D perception at a range of 0.2 to 20 meters for navigation and up-close at a range of 0.08 to 12.5 meters for object detection during core process automation. For example, an autonomous tractor can use ZED-X for safe navigation, and ZED-X Mini for crop detection.
ZED-X features include:
- High-resolution RGB sensor with global shutter: The ZED-X’s 1920×1200 global shutter RGB sensor produces images that captures action-filled environments. Moving scenes are rendered at a rate of 120 fps, and the 3.0 µm pixel size promotes image quality in both low-light and bright conditions.
- IMU designed for robots that experience high vibration: The built-in IMU combines a 16-bit digital triaxial accelerometer and a 16-bit digital triaxial gyroscope to detect motion and measure orientation. The low drift ensures calibration isn’t lost on rugged terrain. ZED-X also reduces design costs and offers extended operational lifespan due to its temperature stability.
- A secure GMSL2 connection: GMSL2 output is an effective connection protocol for robotics since it supports high-speed video data transfer. In a multigigabit point-to-point connection, GMSL2 transfers raw video data from the ZED-X to an AI gateway at a speed of up to 6 GB per second. This means the robot can respond to changes in its environment or fast-moving objects. For large robots, additional cameras can be placed farther from the gateway, at 15 m distance, while still delivering lower latency with less power and a higher frame rate than USB 3.0, without EMI.
Optimized for use with NVIDIA’s Jetson AGX Orin supercomputer, the ZED-X can be integrated into an intelligent end-to-end workflow, accelerating deployment from the prototype stage to production-scale implementation. Each Jetson module can control four ZED-X cameras.
Multi-camera Fusion
In conjunction with the release of the ZED-X, Stereolabs is also launching a new multi-camera management platform, ZED Hub, and a new 4.0 version of the ZED SDK. This combined solution enables a 360-degree surround view around the robot for safe navigation. Users can now fuse data from multiple cameras automatically.
“Today’s robots need to navigate in harsh environments and respond quickly as they operate. Building an affordable, industrial-grade surround 3D perception solution is critical to production-scale deployment of next-generation robotics and smart analytics,” said Cecile Schmollgruber, CEO of Stereolabs. “Our camera-based solution dramatically simplifies 360-degree spatial perception and is backed by an ecosystem of tools to integrate and control them at a price point that makes it easy to add 3D vision to any machine.”
The ZED SDK 4.0 and ZED Hub management software are currently available and are compatible with the entire ZED range of cameras.