RealSense D435i Camera compatibility issues with Jetson Orin Nano - VTAstrobotics/Documentation GitHub Wiki

RealSense D435i Camera compatibility issues with Jetson Orin Nano:

Problem Summary

The RealSense D435i camera was initially not detected by the Jetson Orin Nano. Attempts to install required drivers and libraries failed, and the ROS2 RealSense node could not launch properly. After multiple attempts, it was determined that:

  1. Compatibility issues exist between the RealSense drivers and Jetpack 6.0.
  2. Permission issues prevent the camera from working correctly on the Jetson Orin Nano.

Steps Taken to Debug the Issue

  1. Installed the MIPI Platform for Jetson 6.0 Goal: Check for compatibility with the camera drivers. Result: The installation did not solve the issue, as the camera was still not detected. We explored several forum posts to find similar cases, but even after reinstalling the MIPI platform, the problem persisted. Reference - https://github.com/IntelRealSense/realsense_mipi_platform_driver

  2. Reinstalled librealsense and RealSense Viewer Commands Used: bash Copy code sudo apt-get remove librealsense2 sudo apt-get install librealsense2-utils Goal: Ensure the RealSense drivers and utilities were correctly installed. Result: The reinstallation did not resolve the issue. The camera remained undetected.

3.Tried Switching to Another Jetson Device (From Nvidia Orin nano to just Jetson Nano) Goal: Determine if the issue was specific to a particular Jetson Nano unit. Result: Switching Jetsons had no effect—the problem persisted on both devices.

4.Attempted Isaac ROS Setup Goal: Explore whether Isaac ROS (an alternative to ROS2) could resolve the problem. Result: Isaac ROS was incompatible with the firmware version on the Jetson Orin Nano. This approach was abandoned due to version mismatches. Refrence - https://nvidia-isaac-ros.github.io/getting_started/

  1. Tested the Camera on an Intel NUC Goal: Verify that the camera itself was functioning properly. Result: The RealSense D435i worked perfectly on the Intel NUC, confirming that the hardware was not defective.

  2. Identified Permission Issue Using realsense-viewer Solution: Running the RealSense Viewer with sudo resolved the detection issue. bash Copy code sudo realsense-viewer Forum Reference: GitHub Issue #12566 Explanation: The camera was not launching due to a permission error. Running the viewer with elevated privileges allowed the camera to work, indicating that permission issues are also affecting the ROS2 node.

7.Goal - Added Udev Rules for RealSense Cameras: Result : The issue still persisted - "No camera devices found". Reference - https://github.com/grayson-arendt/Lunabotics-2025/tree/master/scripts/config