Unipos' popular product, Orbbec's 3D camera "Femto Bolt"but,"Why it's the best replacement for Azure Kinect DK"We would like to introduce you to "
table of contents
- Introducing the Orbbec Femto Bolt
- A thorough comparison of camera performance!
- Use of the same sensor (Introduction of the video: 0:00-1:16)
- Size differences between Femto Bolt and Azure Kinect DK (Video Introduction: 1:17)
- ROS support and compatibility
- Image Quality (Video Image Quality: 1:55)
- Calibration (Video Image Quality: 2:11)
- Point Cloud Comparison (Video: Point Cloud comparison: 3:35)
- RGB camera comparison
- Summary
This article is based on a review by Martin Günther, Senior Researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI).
We have a detailed comparison between Orbbec Femto Bolt and Microsoft Azure Kinect DK. For more specific information, please watch the video (Chapter: Thorough comparison of camera performance!).
*This article also references information from Orbbec's documentation.
Femto Bolt Comparison with Azure Kinect DK
https://www.orbbec.com/documentation/comparison-with-azure-kinect-dk/
Introducing the Orbbec Femto Bolt
Orbbec Femto Bolt is a 2023D camera that inherits the technology of Microsoft Azure Kinect DK (discontinued in August 8).
It uses ToF (Time-of-Flight) technology for excellent depth data acquisition, while the built-in 6-axis IMU provides highly accurate position compensation and tracks moving objects to provide accurate data.
A thorough comparison of camera performance!
Here are some excerpts from a comparison video by Dr. Martin Günther (DFKI) comparing the performance of Femto Bolt and Azure Kinect DK.
Use of the same sensor(Video Introduction: 0:00-1:16)
Femto Bolt uses Microsoft's 1 megapixel ToF (Time-of-Flight) depth camera, which is also used in the Azure Kinect DK.
For identical operation modes and performance, see the table below.
| mode | Resolution / FPS | Field of View (FOV) | Operation Range | Exposure Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFOV unbinned | 640×576 @ 5/15/25/30 fps | 75 ° x65 ° | 0.5 - 3.86 m | 12.8 ms |
| NFOV 2×2 binned (SW) | 320×288 @ 5/15/25/30 fps | 75 ° x65 ° | 0.5 - 5.46 m | 12.8 ms |
| WFOV 2×2 binned | 512×512 @ 5/15/25/30 fps | 120 ° x120 ° | 0.25 - 2.88 m | 12.8 ms |
| WFOV unbinned | 1024×1024 @ 5/15 fps | 120 ° x120 ° | 0.25 - 2.21 m | 20.3 ms |
| Passive IR | 1024×1024 @ 5/15/25/30 fps | N/A | N/A | 1.6 ms |
Size differences between Femto Bolt and Azure Kinect DK (Video Introduction: 1:17)
The Femto Bolt and Azure Kinect DK camera are stacked on top of each other. The video compares the performance in the same scene in this state.
First of all, the size. The depth of the Femto Bolt is about half that of the Azure Kinect DK. Despite its compact size, it can obtain almost the same point cloud data.
| Major features |
Femto Bolt |
Azure Kinect DK |
|---|---|---|
| SDK Support | Orbbec SDK / Orbbec SDK K4A Wrapper | Azure Kinect Sensor SDK |
| Data Output | Point cloud, Depth Map, IR and RGB | Point cloud, Depth Map, IR and RGB |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 115.30x40.26x64.95 mm | 103x39x125.4 mm |
| Weight | 348 g | 440 g |
ROS support and compatibility
Femto Bolt comes with drivers and SDKs for ROS1/2, and an API (Orbbec SDK K4A Wrapper) that is compatible with the Azure Kinect Sensor SDK. The API allows for smooth migration of applications developed based on the Azure Kinect DK.
For detailed instructions, please refer to the official Orbbec GitHub.
Orbbec SDK K4A Wrapper on GitHub
https://github.com/orbbec/OrbbecSDK-K4A-Wrapper
Image Quality: 1:55)
- Top left [A]: RGB image of Femto Bolt
- Bottom left [B]: RGB image of Azure Kinect DK
- Right [C]: Femto Bolt color point cloud image
Calibration (Image Quality: 2:11)
Femto Bolt comes with an excellent factory calibration, visible through the ROS driver, which means the alignment accuracy of the RGB depth data is noticeably better than that of the Azure Kinect DK.
Point Cloud Comparison (Video: Point Cloud comparison: 3:35)
Here we compare point clouds from two cameras, with different colorings to distinguish between the two.
- Femto Bolt: Colored with RGB camera color
- Azure Kinect DK: Rainbow colors
Both cameras use the same 1MP ToF depth camera, and the point clouds from the two cameras are nearly identical, as evidenced by the same results.
RGB camera comparison
Field of view comparison (video RGB comparison: 5:22)
Femto Bolt and Azure Kinect DK have the same ToF depth camera, but different RGB cameras.
The RGB camera on Femto Bolt has the same resolution as Azure Kinect DK (3840 x 2160@30fps) but with a slightly smaller field of view. However, Femto Bolt's RGB camera supports HDR, allowing you to get higher quality RGB images and videos with a higher dynamic range.
| Major features |
Femto Bolt |
Azure Kinect DK |
|---|---|---|
| RGB FOV | H80° V51° | H90° V59° |
| RGB HDR support | supported | Not supported |
| RGB dynamic range | Improved to 81.1DB | 45.6DB |
- Femto Bolt point cloud overlaid on top of Femto Bolt RGB image
- Azure Kinect DK point cloud overlaid on Azure Kinect DK image
The Femto Bolt's RGB has a smaller field of view, so the top and bottom of the point cloud are cut off. The Azure Kinect DK has full coverage with its RGB camera.
The camera has a very high resolution of 800 megapixels, so you can crop and enlarge the image if you want to narrow the field of view, but you can't enlarge it if the field of view is too narrow. In most applications this isn't a big problem, but depending on the use case, you should be aware of the difference in field of view.
White balance comparison (video RGB comparison: 5:23)
Under normal lighting conditions, image quality is roughly comparable, with the only difference being that the Femto Bolt seems to have slightly better white balance and more natural colors.
HDR feature comparison (video RGB comparison: 5:52)
However, backlighting is a different story: Femto Bolt's HDR feature allows it to evenly balance the brightness differences in a scene. Under the same conditions, Azure Kinect DK will overexpose bright areas (such as outside a window) and underexpose dark areas (such as objects inside an interior room).
Summary
Femto Bolt is the best replacement for Azure Kinect DK due to its excellent calibration and high performance. Please consider it as an alternative to Azure Kinect DK. Please feel free to contact us for further questions or to purchase.
If you'd like, please also refer to the comparison article from the time of release.
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■For more information or inquiries about Orbbec Femto Bolt, please click here Orbbec Femto series | Equipped with 6-axis IMU, multiple units can be synchronized ToF depth camera Manufacturer (Orbbec 3D Tech. Intl. Inc) Website
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Please also refer to other Orbbec 3D camera case studies.
