Risks of using stereo depth camera for baby monitoring
Could you explain to me whether the IR light from stereo depth cameras can harm the baby or not for the baby monitoring?
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Hi Yehtet4utycc RealSense cameras are Class 1 laser devices, which means they are safe for the face and eyes. Safety certificates for RealSense products can be found at the link below.
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Hello MartyG. Thank you for your prompt reply. I have checked the regulatory information from the link that you provided and learned about the Class 1 laser device as well. This helps a lot. However, I am curious about another thing.
Would it be still not harmful to the preterm babies if I want to monitor 24h them using RealSense cameras? Because the skin and eyes of preterm babies are not like normal babies.
Thank you in advanced.
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The built-in laser of RealSense cameras is low intensity at a default power value of 150mW and would not penetrate through layers of body fat to reach a baby inside. By pre-term though I assume you mean babies that have been born and are in neo-natal care. Laser intensity falls away over distance, so if the camera is positioned at meters distance away then it is not likely to be harmful to baby skin and eyes.
The power of the laser can also be reduced below its default 150mW output.
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Intel's white-paper document about projectors discusses power vs range at the link below.
https://dev.intelrealsense.com/docs/projectors#4-increasing-range
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Thanks, MartyG.
Yes, the preterm baby I mean is the baby in NICU neo-natal care. Another thing I am confused about is the laser and IR light. Are they both used for the stereo depth cameras to calculate the depth information? Because I only found the IR projector in the camera (in my case, D455).
If so, I need to be concerned about two radiations (laser and IR radiations). Am I correct?
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The projector that emits the laser is a separate component from the infrared sensors. It is not required for the calculation of depth information but assists depth analysis by providing an infrared light source and casting an IR dot pattern over surfaces in the observed scene that provides smooth surfaces with a texture that the camera can analyze for depth detail.
The infrared sensors do not emit infrared. Instead, light enters into the sensors.
The D455 camera model can make use of any light frequencies that are visible to it, ranging from visible light to near-infrared. As the camera can make use of any light in the scene to aid depth analysis instead of relying on the dot pattern projection, you may be able to disable the built-in projector to remove its laser emissions and instead place an external IR illuminator lamp near to the camera so that the camera can make use of that IR light source instead in a dim or dark room.
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The link below has technical information about external IR illumination.
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