GS130WI - Eyes For The RDK X5

Look what the mailman dropped off today!

This is the GS130WI Stereo Camera Module with an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit). This will be an excellent addition to the X5 and a necessary module for creating rovers using vision.

Specifications

The GS130W uses Dual SC132GS global shutter sensors with maximum resolution of 1280×1080 at up to 120 fps. It has a built-in ICM-42688-P IMU for motion sensing and comes in a nice metal housing. It comes with Dual MIPI CSI inputs and Molex PicoBlade 3 pin connector.

Let's break down the specs.

Global Shutter Sensors: This minimizes motion blur and provides crisp pictures even in high speed

Stereo Lens: Why Stereo? Stereo vision provides depth just like human eyes. This is critical if you are building a rover. Other alternatives would be ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors or lidars.

IMU: An IMU has an accelerometer to measure linear acceleration that tracks changes in velocity and a gyroscope to measure angular velocity that detects flips, turns and tilts.

Why do we need both? Imagine you are on a treadmill. Your body knows you are walking but the eyes tell you you are going nowhere. Now imagine the reverse. You are on a moving walkway. You body's internal sensors says you are not moving but your eyes corrects it because it does know you are in fact moving.

A rover can often get stuck with the wheels moving or the vision can fail if it faces a blank wall or the lights go out. The above would help detect such situations.

In the next post, let's give the X5 a set of eyes!