DreamVu Launches PAL and PAL Mini Omnidirectional 3D Vision Systems

DreamVu Inc. today announced the availability of two new 3D vision intelligence systems for autonomous systems: PAL and PAL Mini. Both products use patented optics and advanced imaging algorithms to create the world’s largest stereoscopic field of view, claimed the Philadelphia-based company.

The ability for a single 3D camera to see large areas in a single frame can save robotics designers valuable time in development and improve the run-time efficiency of the robot once deployed, said DreamVu. Both PAL and PAL Mini provide high-resolution vision, high-accuracy depth, and color 3D point clouds. It added that they can easily integrate into a variety of autonomous systems and consume little power.

“The need for autonomous robots greatly accelerated in 2020, and we are excited to bring to market two game-changing vision systems,” stated Mark Davidson, chief revenue officer at DreamVu. “With PAL and PAL Mini, our customers can create autonomous robots that provide safe cleaning and disinfection, and support more efficient e-commerce operations.”

The company, which has a research and development center in Hyderabad, India, claims to be the leader in omnidirectional 3D vision systems.

PAL and PAL Mini provide visual intelligence

Unlike other stereo cameras, PAL and PAL Mini deliver unmatched performance using only a single CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor and no moving parts, said DreamVu. Both products can eliminate blind spots and combine full-color video with precise depth mapping and detection in a single video stream.

The company added that its cameras are suitable for navigation systems in warehouse robots, disinfection robots, commercial cleaning robots, and domestic vacuum-cleaning robots where low latency, low power consumption, and high reliability are critical.

About PAL

PAL provides 360° horizontal field of view with 110° vertical field of view at up to 9 megapixels with a usable depth range of 10 meters (30 ft.) and no minimum depth distance.

DreamVu said it can generate an entire 3D occupancy map from every frame, making PAL an ideal sensor for navigation systems in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), providing obstacle detection and obstacle avoidance (ODOA) and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). This understanding of the environment can help AMRs localize and navigate along the most efficient paths.

PAL is currently available with a USB interface and can be purchased directly from DreamVu for $1,499. An Ethernet version with an on-board ARM processor and graphics processing unit (GPU) is in development with prototypes also currently available for purchase.

PAL applies AI to wide-angle 3D vision. Source: DreamVu

About PAL Mini

DreamVu said that PAL Mini is the most compact omnidirectional 3D vision system, delivering 360° horizontal field of view with a vertical field of view of 80° at up to 4 megapixels and a usable depth range of 5 meters.

The PAL Mini sensor can fit into a variety of robots. Source: DreamVu

Because of its small size, PAL Mini is optimized for navigation systems in smaller AMRs and domestic robots, said DreamVu.

PAL Mini can also be used as a complementary sensor for applications such as people detection in disinfection robots or wall, cliff, and stair tracking in commercial cleaning robots where maximizing cleaning area is paramount.

PAL Mini is available with a USB interface and can be purchased for $999.

Each product includes a flexible software development kit (SDK) with broad compatibility, including with the Robot Operating System (ROS) and OpenCV.

The products can also be complemented with DreamVu’s Vision Intelligence Software, which provides artificial intelligence functions such as object recognition and classification, people detection, and DreamVu’s complete ODOA and SLAM solutions.