Description
ZED SDK is Stereolabs's AI vision framework, paired with the company's ZED depth cameras, built to give robots and other machines spatial perception. Stereolabs says it is used by more than 100,000 developers worldwide.
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ZED cameras capture rich texture and color data, and the SDK's algorithms are designed and optimized to run in real time. Its API is documented with code samples and tutorials, aimed at reducing the time it takes developers to build and ship a vision-based application.
Core capabilities include spatial perception for human-like sensing, indoor localization using visual-inertial odometry in GNSS-denied areas, real-time occupancy mapping for safe robot navigation indoors and outdoors, body tracking to understand how people move through a space, global localization that fuses ZED X camera data with GNSS signals for high-precision positioning, and object detection for moving people and obstacles.
Stereolabs positions the SDK across verticals including physical AI, logistics automation, offroad autonomy, and smart infrastructure, with deployments on robotic arms, humanoid robots, forklifts, AMRs, and tractors and AGbots. The current release is version 5.5, available for Windows, Linux, and Jetson, and the SDK also integrates with partner hardware such as Ouster lidar. Because the SDK is built around ZED camera data, it requires Stereolabs camera hardware to capture the input it processes; pricing and licensing terms are not published on the developer page.
Stereolabs organizes ZED SDK resources into an SDK overview and downloads section, ZED X camera drivers, full documentation, an API reference, code samples, tutorials, a support and FAQ area, and a GitHub-based developer community. Machine-specific pages cover integration on robotic arms, humanoid robots, forklifts, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and tractors or other agricultural ground robots (AGbots), reflecting the SDK's positioning as infrastructure for physical AI and autonomy projects rather than a single-purpose app. Stereolabs also sells the ZED cameras, ZED Box embedded PCs, and a digital lidar as companion hardware, but the ZED SDK itself is the downloadable software layer that developers write against.
- CategoryRobotics & AI Hardware
- DeploymentOn-premise
- PlatformsWindows, Linux
Stereolabs ZED SDK's Core Features
Real-time 3D spatial perception from ZED camera data
Indoor localization via visual-inertial odometry in GNSS-denied areas
Real-time occupancy mapping for safe robot navigation
Body tracking for understanding human movement in a space
Global localization fusing camera and GNSS data
Object detection for moving people and obstacles
Cross-platform support for Windows, Linux, and Jetson
Documented API, code samples, and tutorials for fast integration
Getting Started with Stereolabs ZED SDK
Get a ZED camera: ZED SDK is built to work with Stereolabs's ZED camera lineup.
Download the SDK: Get the latest ZED SDK release for Windows, Linux, or Jetson.
Follow the docs: Use the documentation and code samples to set up a first vision application.
Add capabilities: Layer in localization, occupancy mapping, body tracking, or object detection as needed.
Integrate and deploy: Connect ZED SDK output to a robot, forklift, AMR, or other machine's control stack.
Stereolabs ZED SDK's Use Cases
- Robot navigation and mapping
- Human motion sensing
- Object and obstacle detection
- GNSS-denied localization
