Do you know what are the most precise programmable RGB-D cameras a non-professional can buy? I was trying to extract 3D information just from a single camera via 3D convolutions and RNNs (for a self-driving car project) and would like to play with real 3D a bit as well.
I've been playing around with a few and I'd recommend the Orbbec Astra and the Intel RealSense (the new D435 is what I've been using) as decent but cheap cameras if you want to get started! The Asus Xtion PRO LIVE is also quite good but since it's been discontinued it's pretty hard to find.
The Stereolabs ZED relies on stereo vision but produces a similar output as traditional RGB-D cameras, and I've heard good things about it as well!
You promise some directions for fruitful research. It is a bit light on that. Maybe it's nice to expand on that topic a bit more.