Measuring depth accuracy in RGBD cameras

Abstract

This paper presents the comparison between the Microsoft Kinect depth sensor and the Asus Xtion for computer vision applications. Depth sensors, known as RGBD cameras, project an infrared pattern and calculate the depth from the reflected light using an infrared sensitive camera. In this research, we compare the depth sensing capabilities of the two sensors under various conditions. The purpose is to give the reader a background to whether use the Microsoft Kinect or Asus Xtion sensor to solve a specific computer vision problem. The properties of the two depth sensors were investigated by conducting a series of experiments evaluating the accuracy of the sensors under various conditions, which shows the advantages and disadvantages of both Microsoft Kinect and Asus Xtion sensors.