RealSense Depth Camera (D435i / D405)

A widely used stereo depth camera series, formerly an Intel division, common in robotics research and products.

RealSense grew out of an Intel 3D-camera project started in 2014; its D400 series uses stereo vision plus an onboard chip to compute depth directly. It spun off from Intel as an independent company on July 11, 2025, completing a $50 million Series A round, and on September 22, 2026, the machine-vision company Cognex announced it would acquire RealSense for roughly $500 million in cash, with the deal expected to close in the fourth quarter of that year. Two models are most common in embodied-AI circles: the D435i is an active-stereo camera with an IR projector and a built-in IMU, with an ideal range of 0.3–3 meters, often mounted on a robot's head or used as a third-person view; the D405 is designed specifically for close range, 7–50 cm, and is often wrist-mounted instead. The open-source RealSense SDK provides drivers, depth filtering, and a ROS 2 interface.

ExampleThe ALOHA 2 dual-arm platform replaced the consumer webcams used in its first generation with the RealSense D405, citing its wider field of view, depth sensing, global shutter, and smaller size.

Also called

Intel RealSense, D435, D435i, D455, D405, D555

Related

Depth Camera · Active Stereo · Inertial Measurement Unit · Intel RealSense SDK 2.0 (librealsense) · Orbbec Gemini 330 Series · Wrist Camera

Sources

PR Newswire: Cognex to Acquire RealSense（2026-09-22）
RealSense completes spin-out from Intel, raises $50 million
RealSense D435i 产品页 (Chinese)

As of

2026-09