Stereo vision for obstacle distance outdoors

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Hi, I'm trying to detect obstacles in front of me for a distance of up to 10 meters in an outdoor environment. Up to meaning that I also want to be able to detect obstacles that are close to me. I am thinking of doing this using stereo vision, but I am unsure if this is in fact even possible (before I buy expensive hardware). So is it possible? Has anyone had any success?

If this isn't possible, then what kind of sensors could give me a decent point cloud for such a range (outdoors)? I need a sensor that will fit a medium size robot. Also it needs to be not overly expensive since I have a limited budget.

Thanks