[R200 Question] Making a housemapping robot

[tom_p_1]

Hi everyone,

First time poster here.  I'm an EE student and i want to do a project on mapping robot. Robot should navigate autonomously and output a map that looks like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ6ZHMhGU .  A lot of suggestion online points toward Kinect+ROS for SLAM.  I've discovered the Realsense a few months back and now with the R200 back in-stock, it sparks my interest. Before i pulled the trigger, I have a few questions are:

(1) if i go with R200, where do I start from here?  What software, platform,etc. do i need to know/learn.  I know it's possible.  It might not be easy but I'm eager to learn, but I need better guidance. 

(2) is there comparative advantage of using the R200 vs the Kinect which is much widely documented and easier to use

(3) does the R200 support Cherry Trail? I would eventually put this portable pc http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883722001 on the robot as the on board processing computer. Or should i use another board for this system

Thank you very much.  I'm nervous, and excited. I hope this is the right place to post this question.  Thanks for reading

TP

[samontab]

1)

You should use the low level library, called librealsense. You can get it from github.

Also, have a look at OpenCV and PCL libraries.

2)

The R200 is similar to the Kinect 1, as it uses a similar technology, but the hardware is smaller.
Also, the Kinect 1 is already discontinued.

3)

There are some limitations on the type of computer you can use, in particular it has to have USB3.

You could use an Intel NUC for a compact and capable computer for example.