Intel RealSense Depth Module D421 offers a low-cost depth-sensing solution at just $80

Intel RealSense Depth Module D421 is an entry-level stereo depth module with a 0.2 to 3-meter recommended range, a global shutter to capture motion without artifacts, and a 75° × 50° field of view (FoV).

Intel has made RealSense Depth cameras for years, including the popular RealSense D435i with 6 DoF tracking introduced in 2018 that currently sells for about $320. But not all projects need the most advanced features and/or are viable when needing to spend several hundred dollars on the camera itself. The RealSense Depth Module D421 is a much cheaper way to integrate depth-sensing into projects at a much lower price point. It’s fairly similar to the earlier D435 but lacks an RGB camera.

Intel RealSense Depth Module D421 specifications:

Based on the Intel D4 Vision Processor
Image sensor technology – Global Shutter
Recommended Range – 0.2 m to over 3 m (varies with lighting conditions)
Depth technology – Stereoscopic
Minimum Depth Distance (Min-Z) at Max Resolution – ~20 cm
Depth Accuracy – <4% at 2 m(1)
Depth Field of View (FOV) – 75°±3° × 50°±3°
Depth output resolution – Up to 1280 × 720
Depth frame rate – Up to 60 fps
Filter – IR Band Pass Filter
Host interface – USB-C port
Dimensions – 93 x 32 x 10.18 mm
Temperature Range – 0°C to 35°C
Use environment – Indoor/Outdoor

All you need is a host with a USB port that can work with the open-source Intel RealSense SDK 2.0 and related depth tools. It works with the following operating systems:

Ubuntu 20.04 to 24.04 LTS releases
Windows 10 (Build 15063 or later, 17763+ recommended) and Windows 11
Mac OS High Sierra 10.13.2
Android 7 to 13

Some features of the SDK include support for Open3D open-source library designed for processing 3D data, ROS and ROS2 frameworks for robotics, and TensorFlow and OpenVino for AI and machine learning workloads. Intel provides some C/C++ code samples for their RealSense camera and modules, but the SDK also includes wrappers for many common platforms and languages such as Python, C#/.NET, and Matlab.

As noted in Intel’s video about the module (which can’t be embedded), the new RealSense Depth Module D421 works very much in the same way as the RealSense D435 camera, but lacks a camera, meaning you can do pretty much achieve the same results, except for use case requiring color data such as a robot following a red ball.

When I was first tipped about the low-cost depth-sensing camera module, it sold for $75 for a sample, but that page was quickly taken down. Intel has now set up a new page where you can pre-order the D421 module for $80 per piece, but the trick is that you’d need to get 10 cameras since the module is only offered in a pack with 10 cameras. Shipments are expected to start by mid-November. Addtional information may be found on the product page.

Thanks to Vered and Roi for the tip.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.