> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.stereolabs.com/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.stereolabs.com/_mcp/server. # Smart Infrastructure This page covers camera installations that analyze spaces and people, such as spatial analytics and digital twins, as well as interactive experiences, mixed reality and sports. For each application, it lists the camera, lens, options and host that usually fit, and the pitfalls to avoid. Use these recommendations as a starting point and check them against your requirements. > **Tip** > > Before choosing, read the [rules that apply to most applications](/docs/getting-started/choosing-your-hardware#rules-that-apply-to-most-applications). For a step-by-step selection, see [Choose your camera](/docs/products/cameras#choose-your-camera) and [Choose your ZED Box](/docs/products/embedded/zed-box#choose-your-zed-box). ## At a glance | | Application | Camera | Lens | Polarizer | Host | | :-----------------------------------------------------------------------: | :------------------------------------------------------------------------ | :------------------------------------- | :------------- | :-------------- | :--------------------------------- | | ![](/_fern-files/stereolabs.docs.buildwithfern.com/6f9b2021621e820ca23e14346f3175bf56c7e9cc0e3692d4facd16c96571c955/docs/zed-ecosystem/images/applications/icons/scene-analysis.svg) | [Scene analysis and people counting](#scene-analysis-and-people-counting) | ZED 2i, ZED X for multi-camera systems | Wide | No, indoors | PC, ZED Box Mini, ZED Box Orin | | ![](/_fern-files/stereolabs.docs.buildwithfern.com/e6c1a0aa7b0c6ecc54abd0f7729b35214054f2cde0d19182cb7990c8ab3ec22d/docs/zed-ecosystem/images/applications/icons/digital-twin.svg) | [Digital twins](#digital-twins) | ZED X, or ZED 2i for small setups | Wide | No, indoors | ZED Box Orin, Jetson with ZED Link | | ![](/_fern-files/stereolabs.docs.buildwithfern.com/a771e75a1600d4b8405dea46a1e21b7e721883815876e63ac42f739f87db071a/docs/zed-ecosystem/images/applications/icons/interactive.svg) | [Interactive applications](#interactive-applications) | ZED 2i | Wide | No | PC with an NVIDIA® GPU | | ![](/_fern-files/stereolabs.docs.buildwithfern.com/7794e436d3edc9fa6e8aacdb7dc3b6261fff620040f3e5e854e950358c49a1b2/docs/zed-ecosystem/images/applications/icons/mixed-reality.svg) | [Mixed reality](#mixed-reality) | ZED Mini | Fixed | No | PC with an NVIDIA® GPU | | ![](/_fern-files/stereolabs.docs.buildwithfern.com/a28e4734572e17cb357c0ddd750f398f28a1dec21d8ee8bac02a53aaa0da5c0b/docs/zed-ecosystem/images/applications/icons/sports.svg) | [Sports and fast motion](#sports-and-fast-motion) | ZED X, ZED X One S | Wide or narrow | Depends on site | ZED Box Orin | For the polarizer, "Depends on site" means: with polarizer outdoors in daylight, without polarizer indoors or in low light. Only the ZED 2i, ZED X and ZED X Mini are available with a polarizer. For details, see [Should you choose the polarizer?](/docs/products/cameras/zedx/specifications#should-you-choose-the-polarizer). ## Scene analysis and people counting ![Travelers walking through a station hall](/_fern-img/ba3678155a0f53080137252c54e9b66af416ca933c3ebf02a8a0acb5e6596f0b.webp) Spatial analytics, people counting, occupancy, queue monitoring, and object counting in retail, transportation hubs and industrial sites. * **Single camera, or a few independent cameras**: **ZED 2i** with **wide lens**. It connects over USB 3 to a PC or a ZED Box Mini, and detects objects in 3D up to 20 m with the wide lens. * **Large areas with several synchronized cameras**: **ZED X** on a **ZED Box Orin**, with the [Fusion API](/docs/development/zed-sdk/modules/fusion/) to merge the detections. * **Mounting**: place the cameras high and tilt them down. A camera pointing straight down sees mostly heads and shoulders, which limits body detection. * **Crowded scenes**: use the Person & Head models of [Object Detection](/docs/development/zed-sdk/modules/object-detection/), designed for crowds and partially occluded people. > **Note** > > The ZED 2i USB cable is limited to 10 m. Two ZED 2i at high resolution can exceed the bandwidth of a single USB 3 controller: connect them to separate controllers or lower the resolution. ## Digital twins ![Digital twin of an office, with people tracked in 3D and the live camera view inset](/_fern-img/67d1ef6309d298eb5278399e86fd7e163558859e354f79e81705948bc3479f54.webp) 3D models of rooms, buildings and sites, kept up to date with live data: occupancy, motion tracking, safety zones and traffic flows. * **Permanent multi-camera installations**: **ZED X** on a **ZED Box Orin** or on a Jetson with a [ZED Link capture card](/docs/products/embedded/zed-link-capture-card/gmsl2/). GMSL2 carries video and power on a single coaxial cable over long distances, without the USB extenders that often make permanent USB installations unstable, and synchronizes the cameras at the hardware level. * **Small or temporary setups**: **ZED 2i** on a PC or a ZED Box Mini. * **Lens**: **wide** to cover the room; **narrow** for the cameras that must see the far end of a large hall. * **3D model**: use [Spatial Mapping](/docs/development/zed-sdk/modules/spatial-mapping/) to scan the environment, and the [Fusion API](/docs/development/zed-sdk/modules/fusion/) to combine the live data of several cameras. > **Note** > > The GPU is usually the bottleneck of multi-camera systems. Distribute the cameras across several hosts when one Jetson cannot process all of them at the required frame rate. ## Interactive applications ![Visitor in front of an interactive display](/_fern-img/2d2102b85cdb031292601df38197266f1bd85f7100ad688716e287803b5f13a7.webp) Interactive installations, art and museum exhibits, interactive displays and motion capture, usually with [Body Tracking](/docs/development/zed-sdk/modules/body-tracking/) and a game engine such as [Unity](/docs/integrations/unity/) or [Unreal Engine](/docs/integrations/unreal-engine-5/). * **Camera**: **ZED 2i** with **wide lens**. It connects over USB 3 to a Windows or Linux PC, where game engines usually run. * **Very short distances**: when the tracked people or objects come closer than 0.3 m, the minimum depth of the ZED 2i, choose the **ZED Mini**, whose minimum depth is 0.1 m. * **Several cameras**: add cameras to cover areas wider than about 10 m, or to handle occlusions when several people interact. Fuse them with the [Fusion API](/docs/development/zed-sdk/modules/fusion/). > **Note** > > Body tracking is based on the color images, so the scene needs good lighting. Mount the cameras at about head height or above, slightly tilted down, rather than straight down. ## Mixed reality ![Two people using VR headsets in a living room](/_fern-img/bd2e4536335220f8d11ac8e9f9db5ef67d96355d7fbd4049d97f989de25c17bf.webp) Video passthrough and augmented reality with a headset. * **Camera**: **ZED Mini**, designed to be mounted on a headset: its 63 mm baseline is close to the distance between human eyes, and its minimum depth is 0.1 m. Use it with the [Unity plugin](/docs/integrations/unity/). > **Note** > > A laptop running on battery often throttles its GPU: keep it plugged in. ## Sports and fast motion ![Soccer player running with the ball](/_fern-img/6c6b05bdcdc3c79367a757d8755449e34dfac25f693906bd527d8cf45ff6e5b1.webp) Ball tracking, athlete tracking and biomechanics. * **Camera**: **ZED X**, whose global shutter and 120 fps mode (960 x 600) capture fast motion without distortion. For outdoor venues, pairs of **ZED X One S** cameras with the wide lens (IP69K) form rugged, hardware-synchronized stereo rigs. * **Lens**: **narrow** for long distances: it extends body tracking from 8 m to 15 m on the ZED X. > **Note** > > The ZED X One 4K runs at 15 fps in 4K and uses a rolling shutter, which limits it for fast motion. ## Need help? Contact [support@stereolabs.com](mailto:support@stereolabs.com) with a description of your application: working distances, motion, environment and number of cameras.