OV2640 Binocular Dual Camera Module

Equipping an Electronics project with a camera is often a great way to give it an extra sense, to view, track and interact with the environments they’re in and offer ever-more functionality in a way that we humans understand quite well. However, if you’ve ever watched the video from the point of view of a little robotic buddy wandering around your house or garden, then you will have surely noticed that, just like a camera, it struggles to properly capture the depth of the world and various items within it. And while this is great for standard functionality, if you want to get advanced with Machine Learning or other fun stuff, imagery taken from a single perspective just doesn’t offer the data we need, and that’s why we’ve fallen in love with this simple but very awesome OV2640 Binocular Dual Camera Module.

Compared to standard Camera Modules, this module features dual cameras that are oriented in the same way that our eyes are oriented on our human faces, and rather than just giving single perspective imagery, this module captures scenes from two slightly different but distinct angles. This translates to real depth in the world of electronics, as the subtle difference in angle produces slightly different imagery, which can be compared and calculated to work out distances in almost any environment. These images can then be processed so that your project can understand where objects (and people) are located within a three-dimensional space, rather than on a two-dimensional plane, giving it better capabilities for interacting with the world and the various items, objects and entities within it.

In addition to giving robots and other electronics projects the power of dual vision, this camera module is also a fantastic tool for human-to-machine interfacing as well, as it allows us to enjoy points of view from our little robots and other projects, but in the same way that we typically see with both eyes. This is perfect for POV drone flying or POV RC Car racing, but also for more unique projects like creating a stereoscopic virtual tour around a house, a factory or anywhere else without the person actually needing to be there to explore the environment. So, whether you’re enjoying Deep Learning and are looking for better image capturing capabilities, are eager to give your robot improved depth perception and the ability to interact with the world better, or want to create your own virtual stereoscopic adventures to share with friends or utilise for work, the OV2640 Binocular Dual Camera Module is a relatively inexpensive but powerful tool to help you do it!

Please Note: This camera is based on the Sipeed DualCamera Module, which originally features Dual GC0328 sensors. On this unit, however, those sensors have been replaced with similar Dual OV2640 sensors, which are more cost-effective and easier to interface with.

Additional Resources:

• Please be sure to take a good look through the datasheets and manuals included in the Downloads Section at the top of this description, which of course provides all of the insights and subtle nuances that we couldn’t include here.

As self-proclaimed “Robo-holics”, DFRobot is a company comprised of over 100 staff members, of which 30% are engineers who love to build robots. It was started in 2008 with the goal of embracing and promoting open-source hardware, with a core focus on Arduino, Raspberry Pi and their very own LattePanda development boards. Since then, DFRobot have manufactured over 1300 unique modules, sensors and components that all work together and complement each other, allowing users like us to enjoy a full spectrum of cutting edge robotics and electronics without having to pay premium prices.

With the primary goal of developing and manufacturing great quality products, while making them accessible to as many people as possible, DFRobot are rapidly becoming one of the most common-place brands in the world of open-source robotics and electronics. With more than 1300 products developed in-house, and an impressive range of different categories and specialisations, there are few brands in the world who can compete in terms of quality, accessibility and genuine innovation.