The ZIP files linked to below contains PDFs of the various presentations from the Alliance’s March 2023 Edge AI and Vision Innovation Forum. Please be aware that these materials are for Alliance Member company internal use only. Note that the presentation from Sam Kavusi of Verily Life Sciences is not…

March 2023 Edge AI and Vision Innovation Forum Presentation Files

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Colleague, The Embedded Vision Summit is thrilled to host the 2023 Deep Dive Day on Monday, May 22. Each Deep Dive is an intensive, three-hour in-person session led by industry experts, designed to explore specific subjects related to visual, perceptual, and edge AI. Tickets are priced at $25 each and can be purchased with or without a 2023 Embedded Vision Summit pass — and yes, it’s possible to attend more than one session! This year’s Deep Dive sessions are sponsored and delivered by the following Alliance Member companies, and will cover the following topics: Edge Impulse — Create Better Models and Deploy Them Everywhere Nota AI — Maximizing Efficiency of Edge AI Models with Minimum Effort Qualcomm — A Practical Guide to Building Edge AI Apps This is a great opportunity to explore these important topics in greater depth than you might get from a typical presentation or YouTube video. Deep Dive session online registrations are now open; we look forward to seeing you on May 22! Time-pressed to see the latest in new tools and techniques in perceptual AI? Looking to see what’s on the horizon in enabling technologies for embedded computer vision? Need to keep an eye on the competition? If so, you should be at the 2023 Embedded Vision Summit, happening May 22-24 in Santa Clara, California. The Summit is the event for practical computer vision and edge AI; you don’t want to miss it! Register now using discount code SUMMIT23-NL and you can save 15%. Don’t delay! Brian Dipert Editor-In-Chief, Edge AI and Vision Alliance

CAMERA SELECTION AND SOFTWARE ENABLEMENT

Selecting the Right Camera for Your Embedded Computer Vision Project The right camera can be key to the success of a computer vision project. For example, in an object detection or segmentation task, you can gain much more in performance by producing images with high contrast between your objects of interest and the background than by having your deep neural network do its best with sub-par footage. It’s easy to underestimate the complexity of selecting and integrating the right camera for your application, and the numerous important considerations can seem overwhelming. In this talk, Adrián Márques, Managing Partner at Digital Sense, provides an introduction to the main factors to consider when choosing a camera, and shares practical considerations you can apply to your project. A Flexible Software Ecosystem and Marketplace for Hybrid AI Vision Solutions For most vision applications, the best solution combines classical vision algorithms with AI techniques. In practice, developing hybrid solutions is challenging. For example, different tools are typically used for different types of algorithms. And creating efficient implementations for embedded processors poses additional challenges, because what works in the cloud or on a PC often is not suited for an embedded target. Optimized implementations of individual algorithms are often available for certain processors, but these are not portable to other processors, and are not designed to interoperate with each other. In this presentation, Bastian Steinbach, Head of Software Product Management at Basler, introduces a flexible software ecosystem that works across various hardware target systems, providing vision system developers with a “no-code” UI and tools to streamline the implementation of image acquisition, classical vision algorithms and AI inference. This enables software providers to easily adapt their software to various deployment targets and empowers processor manufacturers to enable their customers to develop computer vision solutions quickly.

RECOGNIZING TOP STARTUPS AND UNDERSTANDING VC INVESTMENT TRENDS

May 2022 Embedded Vision Summit Vision Tank Finalist Competition In this video, Nima Shei, Founder and CEO of Hummingbirds AI, Mohamed Elwazer, Founder and CEO of linedanceAI, Charbel Rizk, Founder and CEO of Oculi, Faris Alqadah, Founder and CEO of Qlairvoyance, and Robert Laganiere, Chief Scientific Officer of Tempo Analytics, deliver their Vision Tank finalist presentations at the May 2022 Embedded Vision Summit. The Vision Tank introduces companies that incorporate visual intelligence in their products in an innovative way and who are looking for investment, partnerships, technology, and customers. In a lively, engaging, and interactive format, these companies compete for awards and prizes as well as benefiting from the feedback of an expert panel of judges: Vin Ratford, CEO of Piera Systems and Executive Director of the Edge AI and Vision Alliance, Shweta Shirvastava, Senior Product Leader at Waymo, Forrest Iandola, Head of Perception at Anduril Industries, and John Feland, Master of Ceremonies and Data Whisper and Design Thinker. Focus on Value, Not Valuation: A Crash Course in VC Trends and Fundraising 2021 was a record-breaking for founders and funders alike. US venture capitalists deployed a staggering $330B across nearly 17,000 deals, while simultaneously raising an additional $128B for new funds. During the same time period, the founders behind these venture-backed startups created $774B in exit value from IPOs, SPACs and acquisitions. Valuations reached all-time highs, the industry was awash in capital, and it was never easier to start a company, especially for founders innovating in areas like edge, AI/ML and computer vision. But is the party now over? More generally, what should a startup keep in mind when thinking about fundraising? In this talk from the May 2022 Embedded Vision Summit, Poole outlines the basic dynamics behind raising venture capital, establishes then-current market conditions, identifies startup fundraising trends and helps founders and early startup employees in edge AI and vision start-ups prepare themselves for the road ahead.

UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS

Embedded Vision Summit: May 22-25, 2023, Santa Clara, California More Events

FEATURED NEWS

Texas Instruments Unlocks Scalable Edge AI Performance in Smart Camera Applications with Its New Vision Processor Family Qualcomm Expands the Connected Intelligent Edge Ecosystem Through New IoT and Robotics Products Avnet’s RASynBoard Brings Low-power, Edge AI Processing to Embedded Sensor Applications BrainChip Introduces Its Second-generation Akida Platform Hailo Introduces Hailo-15, a Family of AI-centric Vision Processors for Next-generation Intelligent Cameras More News

EMBEDDED VISION SUMMIT SPONSOR SHOWCASE

Attend the Embedded Vision Summit to meet this and other leading computer vision and edge AI technology suppliers! Qualcomm For more than 30 years, Qualcomm has served as the essential accelerator of wireless technologies and the ever-growing mobile ecosystem. Now our inventions are set to transform other industries by bringing connectivity, machine vision and intelligence to billions of machines and objects, catalyzing the IoT.

EDGE AI AND VISION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR WINNER SHOWCASE

Grabango Checkout-free Technology (Best Enterprise Edge AI End Product) Grabango’s Checkout-free Technology was the 2022 Edge AI and Vision Product of the Year Award winner in the Enterprise Edge AI End Product category. Grabango’s system for existing, top-tier grocery and convenience stores is pure computer vision (CV), based on machine learning with targeted retrainings (AI). With a handful of other startups boasting a basic proof-of-concept here and there, Grabango has leapt ahead to announce 5 mature stores with Giant Eagle, 6 stores with Circle K, and 10 stores with bp, with additional announcements pending from two more convenience chains, and two major grocery chains. All of these stores are fast retrofits, serving the same customers as before installation. Since going live, Grabango remains the only provider delivering high-volume operations, in true retrofit settings, with exceptionally accurate receipts. Please see here for more information on Grabango’s Checkout-free Technology. The Edge AI and Vision Product of the Year Awards celebrate the innovation of the industry’s leading companies that are developing and enabling the next generation of edge AI and computer vision products. Winning a Product of the Year award recognizes a company’s leadership in edge AI and computer vision as evaluated by independent industry experts.

The post Edge AI and Vision Insights: March 22, 2023 Edition appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

21 Mar 2023 | Geneva | STMicroelectronics has launched three new accelerometers with advanced processing engines built-in to extend sensor autonomy, enabling systems to respond more quickly to external events while lowering power consumption.

The LIS2DUX12 and LIS2DUXS12 leverage ST’s third-generation MEMS technology, adding programmable capabilities including machine-learning core (MLC), advanced finite state machine (FSM), and an enhanced pedometer. A third entry-level accelerometer, LIS2DU12, is also available for less demanding applications. All three products are equipped with the latest industry standard I3C interface. The three devices integrate the common digital features for detecting events, as well as an anti-aliasing filter for high accuracy at lower sampling frequencies with performance benefits for accurate gesture detection at negligible power consumption.

The integrated MLC in the LIS2DUX12 and LIS2DUXS12 enables artificial-intelligence (AI) algorithms to perform reliable activity detection and the FSM enhances movement recognition. Together, they provide autonomous processing in the sensor, which offloads host interaction and processing, significantly lowering power consumption and enables faster system responses. In addition, by deploying an adaptive self-configuration (ASC) capability, the accelerometers adjust their own settings (such as measurement range and frequency) independently to further optimize performance making each milliampere count.

The LIS2DUXS12 also features ST’s unique Qvar® sensing channel that senses changes in the ambient electrostatic environment to provide presence and proximity detection. This capability lets developers add value to applications such as user-interface control, liquid detection, and biometric sensing such as heart-rate monitors. In user-interface applications, Qvar® combined with an acceleration signal removes potential false positive detection in two-tap and multi-tap events.

The smart accelerometers provide context sensing for state-of-the-art wearables devices, True Wireless Stereo (TWS) speakers and earbuds, smartphones, hearing aids, game controllers, smart watches, asset trackers, robotic appliances, and IoT devices. All three products leverage on ST’s latest ultra-low-power architecture, which combines inherently extremely low power consumption with the anti-alias filter that helps to boost application performance, removing unwanted noise from the signal. Ready-to-use MLC and FSM algorithms are available through ST’s MEMS GitHub model zoo, which facilitates complex gestures, asset tracking, and many other use cases.

With these enhancements, the LIS2DUX12 and LIS2DUXS12 enable the coming generation of “onlife” applications that support daily activities intuitively and seamlessly, always on, always aware, and continuously in sync with the user’s needs. They expand ST’s family of MEMS sensors enhanced with AI, which includes inertial measurement units (IMUs) introduced in 2019.

The LIS2DUX12 and LIS2DUXS12 are in production now and available in a 2mm x 2mm x 0.74mm 12-lead LGA package. Pricing is from $1.38 for the LIS2DUX12 and $1.43 for the LIS2DUXS12, for orders of 1000 pieces. The LIS2DU12, in the same package type, is available for $1.20.

For further information please go to www.st.com/smart-accelerometers

The post First AI-enhanced Smart Accelerometers from STMicroelectronics Raise Performance and Efficiency for Always-aware Applications appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

CV72S SoC Increases On-Camera Intelligence Via New CVflow® 3.0 Architecture, Radar Sensor Fusion, Color Night Vision and Better HDR for Single, Fisheye and Multi Imagers

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 21, 2023 — Ambarella, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMBA), an edge AI semiconductor company, today announced in advance of ISC West the CV72S 4K, 5nm AI vision system-on-chip (SoC) for mainstream professional security cameras, built on its latest CVflow® 3.0 AI architecture. That architecture allowed Ambarella to create this new CV72S SoC with the security industry’s highest AI performance per watt and fusion of radar and camera data, for better nighttime and all-weather AI perception. Its dedicated AI hardware efficiently runs the latest transformer neural networks (NNs), which now outperform convolutional NNs for many vision tasks. Additionally, the CV72S offers 6x greater AI performance than its predecessor, enabling it to also run Ambarella’s groundbreaking AISP for neural network-enhanced 4K, long-range color night vision and HDR at very low lux levels with minimal noise and no external illumination, while leaving plenty of headroom for additional, concurrent NNs (e.g., person tracking and mask detection). As a result of the CVflow architecture’s efficiencies, combined with 5nm process technology, the CV72S consumes less than 3W of power, offering the mainstream security market’s highest AI performance per watt.

“Ambarella’s CV72S fits perfectly into the ongoing trend for security cameras to integrate more and more AI capabilities at the edge via camera processors, while maintaining a low power and thermal budget,” commented Florian Domengie, Senior Technology & Market Analyst, Imaging at Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group. “The growth of infrastructure cameras powered by a processor with advanced AI acceleration is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, with a CAGR22-27 of 23% (1).”

“To take their mainstream professional security cameras to the next level, designers are looking for a solution that provides more AI performance, better image quality and the ability to cover wider areas, across weather and lighting conditions without increasing power budgets,” said Fermi Wang, President and CEO of Ambarella. “We are accelerating their innovation by offering our latest CVflow 3.0 architecture and 5nm process technology in the new CV72S SoC, which was purpose built for the mainstream security market using our algorithm-first approach and in-depth knowledge of vision processing, radar and AI.”

Through its deep understanding and experience in the security market, Ambarella designed the CV72S to also enable higher-end cameras with advanced 16MP30 fisheye dewarping and 4x 5MP30 multi-imager AI capabilities. For single-imager cameras, the CV72S supports 4KP60 encoding for AVC and HEVC—a 2x performance increase over its predecessor. These features are ideal for a broad range of mainstream security cameras, including smart city and traffic applications, as well as monitoring crowded areas (e.g., retail stores, malls and stadiums). Additionally, the CV72S provides rich details for human viewing while enabling advanced video analytics such as long-distance object detection and license plate recognition.

Ambarella’s in-house Oculii virtual aperture imaging (VAI) AI radar technology equipped the company with the know-how to integrate hardware acceleration into the CV72S for fusion with camera data, as well as dynamic load switching between radar and cameras. Ambarella’s Oculii technology features 10-100x better radar resolution than any other radar solution on the market today. These radar capabilities are particularly important for applications such as perimeter security and nighttime monitoring, as well as any system that needs to operate in rain, snow or fog. Additionally, radar can accurately measure the distance, speed and direction of separate objects over a long range, for applications such as traffic cameras.

Other features of the new CV72S SoC include a 2x increase in CPU performance over the prior generation, via dual Arm® Cortex-A76 1.6GHz cores. It also features 2x the DRAM bandwidth, with support for 32-bit LPDDR4x/LPDDR5/LPDDR5x DRAM. Additionally, this SoC integrates hardware security to prevent hacking, including secure boot, OTP and Arm TrustZone technology. The CV72S also has new high-speed PCIe and USB 3.2 interfaces, enabling more complex, multi-chip security system designs.

Ambarella’s CVflow AI development platform provides a full set of tools for easy porting, and supports all common CV frameworks. With its rich set of features, as well as Ambarella’s tools that are compatible across its entire AI security portfolio, the CV72S lowers design costs and maximizes software reuse.

The new CV72S SoC is available now for sampling, and will be demonstrated during ISC West 2023 in Las Vegas next week. For more information or to schedule a demonstration during the show, please contact your Ambarella representative.

About Ambarella

Ambarella’s products are used in a wide variety of human vision and edge AI applications, including video security, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic mirror, drive recorder, driver/cabin monitoring, autonomous driving and robotics applications. Ambarella’s low-power systems-on-chip (SoCs) offer high-resolution video compression, advanced image and radar processing, and powerful deep neural network processing to enable intelligent perception, fusion and planning. For more information, please visit www.ambarella.com.

The post Ambarella Launches 4K, 5nm Edge AI SoC for Mainstream Security Cameras With New Highs in AI Performance Per Watt, Image Quality and Sensor Fusion appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Waterloo, CANADA, March 21, 2023 – Teledyne is pleased to announce its Sapera Vision Software Edition 2023-03 is now available. Teledyne DALSA’s Sapera Vision Software provides field-proven image acquisition, control, image processing and artificial intelligence functions to design, develop and deploy high-performance machine vision applications. The new upgrades include enhancements to its AI training graphical tool Astrocyte 1.40 and its image processing and AI libraries tool Sapera Processing 9.40.

“The new features offered by this new release of Sapera Vision Software are focused on providing our users with enhanced ease of use, improved accuracy, and accelerated processing time across the platform,” said Brandon Hunt, Product Manager for Teledyne’s Vision Solutions group. “In this latest update, Teledyne continues to make it easier for system integrators and OEMs to develop and integrate powerful AI-enabled vision solutions.”

Sapera Vision Software is ideal for applications such as surface inspection on metal plates, location and identification of hardware parts, plastic sorting, and PCB inspection.

New features in this release:

• Automatic Hyperparameter Tuning – Enhances ease of use by enabling the training of AI models without a need to learn complex AI parameters.
• Shaped ROIs and Masks – Improve accuracy and speed at training, validation, and inference steps by using graphical shapes like rectangles, circles, tori, polygons, and brushes to focus on portions of interest in the image.
• AI Inference Acceleration – Accelerates speed at deployment on both CPU and GPU for all AI model types.

For more information visit our website.

Teledyne DALSA is a part of Teledyne’s Vision Solutions group and a leader in the design, manufacture, and deployment of digital imaging components for machine vision. Teledyne DALSA image sensors, cameras, smart cameras, frame grabbers, software, and vision solutions are at the heart of thousands of inspection systems around the world and across multiple industries. For more information, visit www.teledynedalsa.com/imaging.

The post Teledyne Announces Advanced AI Enhancements to Its Image Processing Software appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Laguna Hills, Calif. – March 19, 2023 – BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN, OTCQX: BRCHF, ADR: BCHPY), the world’s first commercial producer of ultra-low power, fully digital, event-based, neuromorphic AI IP, joins the Edge Impulse ML Series as a Platinum Partner to showcase advanced edge machine learning innovation with an audience of invite-only guests.

The exclusive series features six one-day, in-person events that explore the benefits of edge machine learning, ways to differentiate products with embedded intelligence and how to deliver value in less time while lowering operating costs using AI tools like Edge Impulse.  Each event features keynotes from industry leaders, hands-on workshops, customer success stories, insights on deploying ML solutions at scale and live demonstrations.

At Edge Impulse ML events, BrainChip presents “Edge AI: Ready When You Are!”  The keynote addresses AI’s promise to provide new capabilities, efficiencies and economic growth, all with the potential for improving the human condition.  There are numerous challenges to delivering on this promise, particularly the need for performant, secure edge AI.  BrainChip will highlight the readiness of the industry to deliver edge AI and the path to its imminent transition.

“We are excited to be participating in the Edge Impulse ML Series,” said Rob Telson, Vice President of Ecosystems & Partnerships at BrainChip. “With the introduction of our next-generation platform and continued advancements with our partners and expansion of our ecosystem, events such as the ML Series is where BrainChip has the opportunity to communicate, demonstrate and drive our technology platform and provide current and future customers with long-term, intelligent solutions to scale AI into their devices.”

Edge Impulse ML Series events take place in six cities on five different dates.  Please join BrainChip at Edge Impulse ML by registering for one or more of the upcoming showcases via the following links:

• March 27, San Jose, Calif. – Edge ML Series San Jose (edgeimpulse.com)
• March 27, Amsterdam – Edge ML Series Amsterdam (edgeimpulse.com)
• April 25, Chicago – Edge ML Series Chicago (edgeimpulse.com)
• April 27, Munich – Edge ML Series Munich (edgeimpulse.com)
• May 17, London – Edge ML Series London (edgeimpulse.com)
• May 18, Boston – Edge ML Series Boston (edgeimpulse.com)

About BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN, OTCQX: BRCHF, ADR: BCHPY)

BrainChip is the worldwide leader in edge AI on-chip processing and learning. The company’s first-to-market, fully digital, event-based AI processor, Akida^TM, uses neuromorphic principles to mimic the human brain, analyzing only essential sensor inputs at the point of acquisition, processing data with unparalleled efficiency, precision, and economy of energy. Akida uniquely enables edge learning local to the chip, independent of the cloud, dramatically reducing latency while improving privacy and data security. Akida Neural processor IP, which can be integrated into SoCs on any process technology, has shown substantial benefits on today’s workloads and networks, and offers a platform for developers to create, tune and run their models using standard AI workflows like Tensorflow/Keras. In enabling effective edge compute to be universally deployable across real world applications such as connected cars, consumer electronics, and industrial IoT, BrainChip is proving that on-chip AI, close to the sensor, is the future, for its customers’ products, as well as the planet. Explore the benefits of Essential AI at www.brainchip.com.

Follow BrainChip on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BrainChip_inc

Follow BrainChip on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7792006

The post BrainChip Illustrates AIoT Readiness at the Edge Impulse ML Series appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Autonomous mobility is the key value proposition for many robots. Thanks to the successes of self-driving systems in commercial vehicles from companies like Tesla and John Deere. Autonomous driving has gained significant momentum across the robotics industry. Autonomous driving for robots is nothing new, and autonomous mobility has traditionally heavily relied on LiDAR, thanks to their simplicity and ease of use. However, LiDAR presents a number of limitations, such as high upfront costs, low resolution, and lack of object recognition ability. With the recent successes of Tesla and John Deere’s autonomous vehicles using cameras only, the tide is shifting, and cameras are poised to take over. IDTechEx’s recent research, “Sensors for Robotics 2023-2043: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts“, shows that the market share of LiDAR in the robotics industry will decrease from 24% to 21%, whereas the market share of cameras is expected to increase by 3% over the next decade, as shown in the diagram below.

Market Share of LiDAR Units and Camera Units 2022 Versus 2032.

In this article, IDTechEx Technology Analyst Yulin Wang will explore why cameras are becoming a more popular choice for mobile robots, what advantages they offer over LiDAR, as well as what limitations are holding them back from being adopted.

• 3D LiDAR is not needed for indoor mobile robots. One of the benefits of LiDAR is that they are less susceptible to poor weather conditions and limited visibility compared with cameras. While this is a significant benefit for outdoor robots that work in unpredictable weather, it is not quite needed for indoor mobile robots because they are fundamentally designed to work in a well-controlled environment with stable artificial illumination. In addition, unlike LiDAR, which provides a 3D point cloud, cameras can capture both 3D information and color information. This enables robots to recognize and differentiate objects based on color and texture. The 3D information capturing ability paves the way for cameras to replace LiDAR.
• High costs of LiDAR hardware encourage end-users to adopt alternative technologies. Cost is a major factor in the shift away from LiDAR. LiDAR sensors can be expensive, with prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. In comparison, cameras are much more affordable, making them a more accessible option for many companies. This has resulted in the wider adoption of camera-based systems, as they are now more cost-effective for smaller companies and start-ups (which a lot of robot OEMs are). Nevertheless, despite the low costs of camera hardware (image sensors), the total cost of ownership can be extremely high for cameras because of the software and image processing units such as GPUs and image processing software systems.
• Size and weight. Cameras also have a smaller form factor compared to LiDAR, making them easier to integrate into mobile robots. This allows for more compact and lightweight designs, which can be crucial for robots that need to navigate through tight spaces or narrow doorways. Additionally, cameras can be placed in multiple locations on the robot, providing a wider field of view and improving navigation accuracy.
• Maintenance. Cameras are easier to calibrate and maintain compared to LiDAR. LiDAR requires careful alignment to ensure that the 3D point cloud is accurate, and it can be difficult to maintain that accuracy over time. On the other hand, cameras are typically plug-and-play, making them easier to use and maintain.

However, despite the superiorities mentioned above, IDTechEx’s recent research, “Sensors for Robotics 2023-2043: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts“, also outlines a few barriers holding back the camera’s adoption.

• High costs of software and other image processing units. Although image sensors cost considerably lower than LiDAR, the total cost of ownership of cameras, along with image processing units (software and GPUs), can lead to a high total cost of up to a few thousand dollars. In addition, in order to make cameras function in a robust manner, a solid machine vision system is needed. Unlike Tesla and John Deere, many robot OEMs have limited cash flow, making them conservative in investing too much capital on developing machine vision software. They would prefer to use existing LiDAR solutions.
• Data privacy. Many warehouse owners are hesitant to deploy mobile robots with cameras into their warehouses due to data privacy concerns. The lack of interest from end users slows down the adoption of cameras in robots. Furthermore, the lack of images and data collected from warehouses due to data privacy also makes it harder for robot OEMs to develop a robust machine vision system.

In conclusion, the shift towards camera-based systems for indoor mobile robots is a reflection of the changing priorities in the field. As costs come down and technology improves, cameras are becoming a more accessible and effective solution for indoor navigation and mapping. While LiDAR will likely still have a place in some applications and cameras present their own issues in the short term, it’s clear that cameras are poised to become the dominant sensor for indoor mobile robots in the coming years. IDTechEx’s report, “Sensors for Robotics 2023-2043: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts“, forecasts that the market size of cameras used in robots will have a 23-fold increase over the upcoming decade.

To find out more about this IDTechEx report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/RoboticSensors.

Yulin Wang
Technology Analyst, IDTechEx

The post LiDAR On Its Way Out? Camera’s Market Size From 76% to 79% by 2033 appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Scottsdale, AZ – Mar 16, 2023. Piera Systems Inc. (“Piera”) and MACSO Technologies (“MACSO”) are excited to announce their strategic partnership to combine Piera’s state of the art hardware and accurate air quality data with MACSO’s AI/ML software platform to greatly accelerate the development and deployment of new pollutant models. While existing air quality monitors are able to notify their users that the air quality is bad, this product will be able to point out the source of the air pollution e.g. someone smoking in the bathroom or a wild fire coming from a few miles away. This powerful capability to classify sources of pollution enables customers to mitigate air pollution fast and effectively.

By applying MACSO’s proven AI/ML software platform to the highly accurate air quality data generated by Piera’s Intelligent Particle Sensors (“IPS”) and Canāree Air Quality Monitors, customers are able to produce pollutant models, and iterate for further accuracy, at a much faster pace than before. Piera’s vape/smoke algorithm, originally developed heuristically, was deployed 8x faster using MACSO’s software and accuracy was improved by 15%. The flexibility and repeatability of MACSO’s software platform enables further refinement of this accuracy as more of Piera’s devices get deployed in the field. Ability to remotely update the pollutant models keeps deployment costs to a minimum while continuously improving the overall accuracy.

Along with vape/smoke detection, which is critical for schools, hospitals, and hotels to ensure healthy environments, Piera and MACSO are applying this highly effective marriage of accurate data with proven AI/ML software to various applications and industries including classification of construction dust in industrial environments and wildfire smoke which are increasing in frequency around the world. Understanding the nature and sources of pollution allows the deployment of targeted mitigation techniques and adapting them in real-time, which can result in substantial energy savings.

“Ability to classify the sources of air pollution is a huge milestone vastly improving the effectiveness of mitigation techniques resulting in healthier air faster and tremendous energy savings,” said  Vin Ratford, CEO of Piera Systems. “We couldn’t be more excited for this collaboration with MACSO as it helps us classify new pollutants and unlocks new applications faster than ever before.”

“Building on the success of our AI/ML platform deployments to improve animal health, we were able to quickly extend our platform to analyze air quality data and accurately classify pollutants,“ said Saba Samiei, Founder and CEO of MACSO Technologies. “Accurate data is essential to successfully applying AI/ML techniques and we are proud to partner with Piera to enable better air and improve human health.”

Indoor air quality has direct and substantial impacts on human health, from loss of productivity to causing serious diseases including lung cancer, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular diseases. The smallest particles, less than 1 micron in size, are the most dangerous as they are readily absorbed into the bloodstream. Piera’s Canāree Air Quality Monitors and IPS technology are independently certified to accurately detect these sub-micron particles which powers MACSO’s AI/ML software to accurately classify the sources of pollution.

About Piera Systems, Inc.

Piera Systems Inc. is on a mission to make air quality measurement accurate, simple, inexpensive, and pervasive, enabling a major improvement in the health of all humans. Piera has developed a family of ‘Intelligent Particle Sensors’ and Canāree Air Quality Monitors utilizing a breakthrough custom processor to detect particulate matter (PM), a major component of air pollution. Unlike existing low-cost PM sensors and the AQMs that rely on them, IPS and Canāree have superior accuracy over a wider range, including harmful ‘very fine particles’, smaller than 1.0 micron, and reports particle size and count in real-time at low power. IPS and Canāree data is analyzed using AI/ML algorithms to identify and classify pollution sources such as vape, cigarette smoke, cooking, etc. IPS sensors and Canāree air quality monitors answer the question, ‘What’s In Your Air?’

Headquartered in Canada, more information on Piera Systems air quality solutions can be found at https://www.pierasystems.com

About MACSO Technologies

MACSO has created a highly scalable artificial intelligence platform that works with sensors to remotely monitor customers’ operating environments. The platform consists of a proprietary data collection and processing tool that enables MACSO to create a database of reference events tailored for each specific use case. Our library of advanced and proprietary AI algorithms separate relevant signals from live data streams and turn those signals into actionable insights. MACSO’s algorithms are deployable in the cloud and on the edge, enabling hardware companies to scale quickly and enabling a safer world by creating portable intelligence.

Headquartered in New Zealand, more information on MACSO Technologies can be found at https://macso.ai

The post Piera Systems and MACSO Technologies Announce Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize Air Quality Monitoring appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Highlights:

• Snapdragon® 7+ Gen 2 Mobile Platform unleashes legendary entertainment with exceptional performance gains system-wide, including CPU, GPU, AI, and power efficiency

• Delivers premium, in-demand experiences brand new to the Snapdragon 7-series for unprecedented capabilities in this tier—from on-device AI enhanced experiences, exhilarating mobile gaming, photography, videography, audio, and more

• Commercial devices based on Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will be available this month

Mar 17, 2023 | San Diego | Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the new Snapdragon® 7+ Gen 2 Mobile Platform—delivering premium experiences brand new to the Snapdragon 7-series. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 provides exceptional CPU and GPU performance fueling swift, nonstop gaming, dynamic low-light photography and 4K HDR videography, AI-enhanced experiences and high-speed 5G and Wi-Fi connectivity.

“Snapdragon is synonymous with premium mobile experiences. Today’s launch of the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 illustrates our ability to bring some of the most in-demand flagship features to our Snapdragon-7 series—making them accessible to more people,” said Christopher Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We are committed to delivering the most innovative solutions to meet the needs of consumers, our customers, and the industry at large.”

Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 brings exceptional performance to the top of the 7-series fueling a host of legendary experiences. The Qualcomm® Kryo CPU boasts peak speeds up to 2.91GHz, for over 50% improved performance¹, while the Qualcomm® Adreno GPU provides 2x improved performance1. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 achieves up to 13% improved power efficiency across the system for extended daily use. On-device AI is integrated across the entire platform.

• Gaming: Supported by select Snapdragon Elite Gaming features like Auto Variable Rate Shading (VRS), Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 optimizes power and performance by rendering content in focus at full resolution and the scene’s background at a lower resolution. Volumetric Rendering also adds unrivaled realism to game scenes with particle graphics like fog and smoke. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 features Snapdragon Sound with Qualcomm® aptX for lossless music streaming and lag-free sound for gaming.
• Capture: Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 features an 18-bit Triple ISP, allowing users to capture in mega low light mode—snapping 30 images and merging the best parts into one shot for brighter, clearer, more colorful photos after dark. Consumers can capture over 4,000x more camara data² for extreme dynamic range with vivid color and clarity. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 supports up to 200MP photo capture and staggered HDR video capture with triple exposure from two cameras simultaneously.
• AI: The integrated Qualcomm® AI Engine, which has over 2x improved AI performance with 40% better performance per Watt than its predecessor1, offers AI-enhanced experiences for utmost simplicity. Also featured is the Qualcomm® Sensing Hub with a dedicated AI processor, powering contextually aware use cases such as user activity recognition and acoustic scene detection. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 enables AI Super Resolution to intelligently upscale game scenes or photos for superior visual quality from a low-resolution image (1080p to 4K).
• Connectivity: Powered by the Snapdragon X62 5G Modem-RF System, Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 offers blazing download speeds of up to 4.4 Gbps and outstanding power efficiency—supporting more networks, frequencies, and bandwidths globally. For the first time in the Snapdragon 7-series, this platform includes support for 5G/4G Dual-Sim Dual Active (DSDA) so consumers can utilize two SIMs when traveling or to separate their work and personal communications. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 features the Qualcomm® FastConnect 6900 Mobile Connectivity System to deliver blazing fast, extremely responsive Wi-Fi — at up to 3.6 Gbps.

Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will be adopted by key OEM brands including Redmi and realme, with commercial devices expected to be launched this month. For more information about Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 visit link.

¹Compared to Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Mobile Platform

²Compared to 14-bit

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

The post Qualcomm Unveils Game-changing Snapdragon 7-series Mobile Platform to Bring Latest Premium Experiences to More Consumers appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Designers can easily and affordably add vision and AI processing for up to 12 cameras in building, industrial and retail automation applications

DALLAS, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — To build on innovations that advance intelligence at the edge, Texas Instruments (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) today introduced a new family of six Arm® Cortex®-based vision processors that allow designers to add more vision and artificial intelligence (AI) processing at a lower cost, and with better energy efficiency, in applications such as video doorbells, machine vision and autonomous mobile robots.

This new family, which includes the AM62A, AM68A and AM69A processors, is supported by open-source evaluation and model development tools, and common software that is programmable through industry-standard application programming interfaces (APIs), frameworks and models. This platform of vision processors, software and tools helps designers easily develop and scale edge AI designs across multiple systems while accelerating time to market. For more information, see www.ti.com/edgeai-pr.

“In order to achieve real-time responsiveness in the electronics that keep our world moving, decision-making needs to happen locally and with better power efficiency,” said Sameer Wasson, vice president, Processors, Texas Instruments. “This new processor family of affordable, highly integrated SoCs will enable the future of embedded AI by allowing for more cameras and vision processing in edge applications.”

Scalable AI camera performance at the edge with vision processors

TI’s new vision processors bring intelligence from the cloud to the real world by eliminating cost and design complexity barriers when implementing vision processing and deep learning capabilities in low-power edge AI applications.

These processors feature a system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture that includes extensive integration. Integrated components include Arm Cortex-A53 or Cortex-A72 central processing units, a third-generation TI image signal processor, internal memory, interfaces, and hardware accelerators that deliver from 1 to 32 teraoperations per second (TOPS) of AI processing for deep learning algorithms.

Vision processors in this family include the:

• AM62A3, AM62A3-Q1, AM62A7 and AM62A7-Q1, which support one to two cameras at less than 2 W in applications such as video doorbells and smart retail systems. This family includes the AM62A3, the industry’s lowest-cost 1-TOPS vision processor (US$12 in 1,000-unit quantities).
• AM68A, which enables one to eight cameras in applications like machine vision, with up to 8 TOPS of AI processing for advanced video analytics.
• AM69A, which achieves 32 TOPS of AI processing for one to 12 cameras in high-performance applications such as edge AI boxes, autonomous mobile robots and traffic monitoring systems.

Streamlined AI evaluation and development with open-source, free tool

Beginning in Q2 2023, designers can accelerate time to market for their edge AI applications with a public beta of TI’s free open-source tool, Edge AI Studio. This feature-rich, web-based tool allows users to develop and test AI models quickly and easily using user-created models and TI’s optimized models, which can also be retrained with custom data. Learn more about edge AI studio at dev.ti.com/edgeaistudio.

These new processors, software and tools for edge AI applications build on TI’s commitment to making the future of embedded possible with scalable processing portfolios.

See AM6xA processors in action at embedded world 2023

At embedded world in Nuremberg, Germany, March 14-16, visitors to TI’s booth can see how AM6xA processors allow designers to implement scalable and affordable AI and vision processing in smart retail, industrial robotics and advanced driver assistance system applications. TI will demonstrate this processor family in Hall 3A, Booth 215. See ti.com/embeddedworld for more information.

Package, availability and pricing

AM68A processors are available now through TI and authorized distributors in production quantities. Pre-production samples of the AM62A and the AM69A are available through TI. Pricing for AM6xA processors starts at US$12 for 1,000-unit quantities. Starter kits are available on TI.com for the AM62A (US$249), AM68A (US$249) and AM69A (US$299).

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Incorporated (Nasdaq: TXN) is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures, tests and sells analog and embedded processing chips for markets such as industrial, automotive, personal electronics, communications equipment and enterprise systems. Our passion to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors is alive today, as each generation of innovation builds upon the last to make our technology smaller, more efficient, more reliable and more affordable – making it possible for semiconductors to go into electronics everywhere. We think of this as Engineering Progress. It’s what we do and have been doing for decades. Learn more at TI.com.

The post TI Unlocks Scalable Edge AI Performance in Smart Camera Applications with New Vision Processor Family appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Provide flexible and configurable video solutions for 8K Ultra HD videos, 3D panoramic videos, streaming media, and real-time video communication applications

Nuremberg, Germany, March 15, 2023–VeriSilicon (688521.SH) today announced its multi-format hardware video decoder Hantro VC9000D is now available to support the decoding of the latest VVC/H.266 (Versatile Video Coding) video compression standard, providing flexible and configurable advanced video decoding solutions for data centers, HDTVs, high-end smartphones and other devices.

The newly-launched Hantro VC9000D comes with a multi-format unified architecture, supporting flexible configuration and performance scalability for multiple video formats. Its standalone VVC decoder, or a combination with other decoders for advanced video formats such as HEVC, H.264, AV1, VP9, AVS2, can achieve up to 8K@30fps performance based on 12nm process node, and 8K@60fps or 8K@120fps based on more advanced process nodes or in a multi-core mode. In addition, VC9000D also fully supports comprehensive legacy video formats including VP8, MPEG-4, VC-1, AVS/AVS+, and MPEG-2.

VVC/H.266 is the next generation of the HEVC/H.265 standard and aims to increase video compression rate by 30%-50% without sacrificing subjective video quality. It can provide better video technology support for new video types such as 8K Ultra HD videos, HDR, and 3D panoramic videos, as well as applications including adaptive streaming media and real-time video communication.

“Amid the rapid growth of centralized cloud computing, video as a primary means of communications between cloud and edge display devices, bandwidth optimization and high video quality are the key technology challenges when related applications are deployed, such as video conferencing, virtual cloud desktops, and cloud gaming,” said Wei-Jin Dai, Executive VP and GM of IP Division at VeriSilicon. “VeriSilicon’s Hantro video transcoding solution has been adopted by three out of the top five internet companies in China and 12 of the top 20 cloud service providers worldwide. VeriSilicon is continuously integrating the latest technologies into its Hantro video solution to empower major internet and cloud platform providers. In the future, VeriSilicon will also introduce video technology solutions with higher performance and flexibility leveraging our innovative chiplet architecture, and advanced packaging technologies.”

About VeriSilicon

VeriSilicon Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (VeriSilicon, 688521.SH) is committed to providing customers with platform-based, all-round, one-stop custom silicon services and semiconductor IP licensing services leveraging its in-house semiconductor IP. Under the unique “Silicon Platform as a Service” (SiPaaS) business model, depending on the comprehensive IP portfolio, VeriSilicon can create silicon products from definition to testing and packaging in a short period of time, and provides high performance and cost-efficient semiconductor alternative products for fabless, IDM, system vendors (OEM/ODM), large internet companies and cloud service providers, etc. VeriSilicon’s business covers consumer electronics, automotive electronics, computer and peripheral, industry, data processing, Internet of Things (IoT) and other applications.

VeriSilicon presents a variety of customized silicon solutions, including high-definition video, high-definition audio and voice, in-vehicle infotainment, video surveillance, IoT connectivity, smart wearable, high-end application processor, video transcoding acceleration and intelligent pixel processing, etc. In addition, VeriSilicon has six categories of in-house processor IPs, namely GPU IP, NPU IP, VPU IP, DSP IP, ISP IP and Display Processor IP, as well as more than 1,400 analog and mixed signal IPs and RF IPs.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, VeriSilicon has 7 design and R&D centers in China and the United States, as well as 11 sales and customer service offices worldwide. VeriSilicon currently has more than 1,200 employees.

The post VeriSilicon Delivers Multi-format Hardware Video Decoder Hantro VC9000D Supporting 8K@120FPS VVC/H.266 to Customers appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Highlights:

• Introduced the world’s first integrated 5G IoT processors that can support four different operating systems – to create new business opportunities for partners.

• Announced new robotics and IoT platforms to create avenues for business growth through enhanced affordability, advanced features and ease of configurability.

• Offers an IoT accelerator that pairs robust technologies with a broad ecosystem of expertise and solutions to drive innovation and time to value.

Mar 14, 2023 | NUREMBERG | Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced the world’s first integrated 5G IoT processors that are designed to support four major operating systems, in addition to two new robotics platforms, and an accelerator program for IoT ecosystem partners. These new innovations will empower manufacturers participating in the rapidly expanding world of devices at the connected intelligent edge.

The need for connected, intelligent, and autonomous devices is growing rapidly, and it is expected to hit $116 billion by 2030 according to Precedence Research. Businesses attempting to compete in this fast-moving economy need a reliable source of control and connectivity technology for their IoT and robotic devices. Qualcomm Technologies, which has shipped over 350 million dedicated IoT chipsets, is uniquely capable of providing manufacturers with the platforms needed to address this expanding segment.

“Qualcomm Technologies is committed to fueling innovation, creating new business opportunities, enabling the next generation of 5G connectivity and premium edge- AI — and that starts with ensuring accessibility and performance across the ecosystem,” said Dev Singh, Vice President, Business Development and Head of Building, Enterprise & Industrial Automation, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

The Qualcomm® QCS6490 processor and Qualcomm® QCM6490 processor are world’s first integrated 5G IoT processors to support four major operating systems

Qualcomm Technologies has upgraded the high-tier SOC Qualcomm QCS6490 and Qualcomm QCM6490 processors, used for a wide range of IoT applications, to support four major different operating systems. An industry first, the Qualcomm QCS6490/Qualcomm QCM6490 can now run Linux, Ubuntu, and Microsoft Windows IoT Enterprise, in addition to Android.

“Our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies is designed to help companies easily build, deploy, and operate a diverse range of Windows IoT-based cloud-connected edge devices in key industries including industrial, retail, and healthcare. Windows IoT brings enterprise-grade security, device management tools, and long-term servicing to ensure secure and reliable operations,” said Kam VedBrat, Partner Director of PM, Azure at Microsoft.

The Qualcomm QCS6490/Qualcomm QCM6490 processors offer advanced features such as 5G support for global connectivity and geolocation for a broad range of solutions, including connected camera devices such as dashcams, edge boxes, industrial automation equipment (IPC, PLC), autonomous mobile robotics, and more.

Scalable Qualcomm® QCM5430 processor and Qualcomm® QCS5430 processor

The new Qualcomm QCM5430 processor and Qualcomm QCS5430 processor are Qualcomm Technologies’ first software-defined IoT solutions. Combining performance, premium connectivity, and support for multiple OS options, the platforms can scale across a wide footprint of IoT devices and deployment configurations for a visual environment.  OEMs – including builders of industrial handheld devices, retail equipment, mid-tier robots and connected cameras, AI edge boxes, and more – will have the flexibility to choose between premium, pre-set, or customized feature packs today, and then upgrade them in the future to support their own needs or to provide customer upgrades.

The Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 processors are designed to support up to five concurrent cameras, and video encoding at up to 4K60. It is ready to support machine vision requirements with low-power and advanced edge-AI processing. When necessary, the edge AI can switch to cloud processing for handling multiple camera connections, optimizing between response time and power efficiency, as the manufacturer or user requires. All Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 processor devices are designed to support enterprise-grade on-device security.

Both pre-set platform packages – Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 Feature Pack 1 and Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 Feature Pack 2 – include premium connectivity. Wi-Fi support includes 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E) with transmit speeds up to 3.6Gbps and other enhancements for reduced latency, increased responsiveness, and seamless handoffs in dense mesh environments such as hospitals and warehouses. The connectivity suite on the Qualcomm QCM5430 processor variant also includes a 5G modem that supports mmWave connectivity for ultra-fast data and highly precise geolocation.

The packages’ wired connectivity options start with a single USB 3.1 port and 1 PCIe port and can be configured for up to two PCIe and a 4K60 display port, as well as other options.

The upgraded Feature Pack 2 ramps up the options with increased CPU performance and interface support. Customers can also choose from a variety of scalable and upgradable options as part of the Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 Custom Feature Pack, including support up to 4K 60fps video and up to Triple ISP camera.

Introducing the Qualcomm® Robotics RB1 and Qualcomm® Robotics RB2 Platforms

Robotics innovators can create the next generation of high-performance everyday robotics and IoT products with the new Qualcomm Robotics RB1 platform and Qualcomm Robotics RB2 platform, powered by the new Qualcomm® QRB2210 processor and Qualcomm® QRB4210 processor, respectively. Both platforms are optimized for smaller devices and lower power consumption, making them more cost effective and accessible for the industry.

The Qualcomm Robotics RB1 and Qualcomm Robotics RB2 platforms feature general compute and AI-focused performance and communications technologies, with built-in support for machine vision support for up to three cameras, providing on-board intelligence to meld this data with innovative high-performance sensors from TDK Corporation for applications such as autonomous navigation.

The Qualcomm Robotics RB2’s feature set extends on the Qualcomm Robotics RB1, with upgraded compute and GPU power with a dedicated AI accelerator that offers double the processing capability of the Qualcomm Robotics RB1. This gives it the capability to perform advanced, real-time, on-device AI and machine learning, detection, classification, and environmental engagement. It can support cameras with up to 25MP of resolution and has upgraded security features including a secure DSP and UI. The Qualcomm Robotics RB2 also offers support for additional peripheral standards such as UFS2.1, GPIO, UART, and more. The platforms support current and emerging connectivity standards, including wired connections (USB 3.1 type-C for interconnects, and EMMC v 5.1 and SD3.0 for storage) and wireless connectivity through Wi-Fi, LTE, and 5G. The Qualcomm Robotics RB1, Qualcomm Robotics RB2 platforms and development kits will be available to order from Thundercomm later this month.

The Qualcomm Robotics RB1 and Qualcomm Robotics RB2 platforms are the latest innovations that expand the company’s commitment to innovators and established builders in the growing robotics sector. The successful line of Qualcomm Robotics platforms includes the Qualcomm® Robotics RB3, Qualcomm® Robotics RB5, and Qualcomm® Robotics RB6 platforms. Qualcomm Technologies robotics platforms are currently at work at various industries around the globe – and beyond. In 2021, the first helicopters to fly on Mars lifted off, controlled by a Qualcomm® robotics and drone platform.

The industry is already showing strong support for these new and expanded solutions.

Join the New Qualcomm® IoT Accelerator Program

Qualcomm Technologies has launched the Qualcomm IoT Accelerator Program to propel the business success of IoT ecosystem partners engaged in transforming industries, business models, and experiences. It unites embedded hardware designers, independent software vendors, independent hardware component vendors, system integrators, and ODMs that are equipped to accelerate digital transformation based on the Company’s technologies.

From retail to energy and utilities, to tracking and logistics, and robotics, the accelerator program pairs the Company’s robust technologies with a broad ecosystem of expertise and solutions to drive innovation and time to value.

Singh added, “Our latest innovations, including the new robotics platforms and upgraded IoT processors, alongside the new Qualcomm IoT Accelerator Program, are designed to deliver greater support, expertise, and access to robust technologies to an even broader range of builders and developers who play an important role in scaling intelligent edge devices.”

Visit us at Embedded World

Qualcomm Technologies will be at Embedded World with demos of all of these new and expanded technologies. Visit us in the following booths: Atlantik (Hall 3A, Booth 233), Arrow Electronics .(Hall 3A, Booth 135), Canonical (Hall 4, Booth 600), Codico (Hall 3A, Booth 211), Fibocom (Hall 3, Booth 222), Lantronix (Hall 3, Booth 627), MeiG (Hall 3, Booth 223), Microsoft (Hall 4, Booth 410), Quectel (Hall 5, Booth 318), and Thundercomm (Hall 4, Booth 138).

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

The post Qualcomm Expands Connected Intelligent Edge Ecosystem Through Groundbreaking IoT and Robotics Products appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

On March 28, 2023 at 10:00 am PT (1:00 pm ET), Alliance Member company e-con Systems will deliver the free webinar “Digital Imaging Solutions for Life Science Applications.” From the event page:

Interested in gaining valuable insights on how to choose the right imaging solution for your Medical / Life science application? Join us for our free upcoming webinar!

Key Takeaways:

• Role of cameras in life science applications
• 5 key factors involved in choosing an imaging solution
• Updates on e-con Systems’ latest camera solutions

Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to listen to thought leaders in the embedded vision space! Meet the speakers:

• Balaji S: Business Unit Head – Medical, e-con Systems
• Bharathkumar R: Marketing Manager – Medical, e-con Systems

For more information and to register, visit the event page.

The post Upcoming Webinar Explores Digital Imaging Solutions for Life Science Applications appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

March 15, 2023 – ArniCAM20, developed by e-con Systems, is a 360-degree camera system that equips Autonomous Mobile Robots, Automated Guided Vehicles, and other remote-enabled vehicles with a bird’s eye view of their surroundings.

ArniCAM20 comprises four STURDeCAM21 cameras – with e-con’s proprietary image stitching algorithm running on top of NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin. This surround-view system uses a synchronized multi-camera set-up so that remote vehicles can be fully aware of their environment.

Key Features

• Rugged IP67 enclosure – Provides exceptional protection, especially for outdoor applications, from water and dust.
• GMSL 2 Interface with 15-meter cable support – Makes it easy to place the camera 15 meters away from host processors – with low latency.
• High Dynamic Range (HDR) with LED Flicker Mitigation (LFM) – Helps produce stunning images even in outdoor lighting conditions – avoid LED flickering.
• Synchronization Multi Camera – Simultaneously captures the frames from all the connected cameras.
• Industrial Grade – Ensures uninterrupted operation even in an extreme operating temperature environment (-40°C to 85°C).

Targeted Applications

• Surround View Systems
• Autonomous Mobile Robots
• Patrol Robots
• ADAS

Customization & Integration Support

e-con Systems offers all the necessary customization services and end-to-end integration support for ArniCAM20 to meet your application’s unique requirements.

About e-con Systems

Established in 2003, e-con Systems has grown into a leading OEM camera solution provider with a wide global footprint. We provide end-to-end camera solutions like MIPI camera modules, GMSL cameras, FPD Link III cameras, USB 3.1 Gen 1 cameras, GigE cameras, stereo cameras, and more. Over the years, we have reimagined how they are used in industries such as retail, medical, industrial, agriculture, smart city, etc.

We are also powered by a strong partner ecosystem including sensor partners, ISP partners, carrier board partners, etc. This enables us to offer end-to-end vision solutions. So far, we have built 250+ product solutions – shipping over 2 million cameras across 90+ countries around the globe.

The post 360° Bird Eye View Camera Solution Using NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

The PDF files linked to below are the presentations from the March 15, 2023 Edge AI and Vision Alliance Member Briefing sessions. Please be aware that these materials are for Alliance Member company internal use only. March 15, 2023 Edge AI and Vision Alliance Member Briefing (Alliance) March 15, 2023…

March 15, 2023 Edge AI and Vision Alliance Member Briefing Presentations

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The post March 15, 2023 Edge AI and Vision Alliance Member Briefing Presentations appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

• Useful Sensors and OKdo make machine learning easy, secure and accessible to global customers, resellers and distributor partners.
• Partnership brings small, low-cost machine learning hardware modules to the mass market, providing capabilities such as presence detection, hand gesture recognition, and voice interface.

London, UK, 14 March 2023 – Useful Sensors today announced a global manufacturing and distribution partnership with OKdo, part of RS Group. Silicon Valley guru, Pete Warden and CTO Manjunath Kudlur, who were both founding members of Google’s TensorFlow open-source machine learning framework, started Useful Sensors a year ago to accelerate AI capabilities in sensors.

Sensors are deemed as devices that are used to measure, detect and respond to changes in the environment. There are various types of sensors that serve different purposes. Some of the most effective sensors include temperature, pressure, proximity, humidity, and motion detection.

Useful Sensors’ person sensor technology is an industry-leading, coin-sized module with a camera on the front and a microcontroller on the back that detects people’s faces and outputs data about the subject where they are relative to a device, as well as accurately performs facial recognition.

Applications for this technology include person detection, QR code scanning, gesture and speech recognition.

Pete Warden, CEO and Founder of Useful Sensors said, “We’re excited to be working with OKdo. The company’s deep expertise in building products that solve real problems for their customers is going to improve the solutions we’re creating and help us come up with entirely new ways of helping system builders.”

“On our journey to make the world smarter and more sustainable, OKdo and RS partner with over one million customers. This partnership with Useful Sensors, gives our customers access to low-cost, secure machine learning and AI capabilities,” said Sander Arts, CMO of OKdo. “We are excited that a Silicon Valley entrepreneur like Pete Warden sees the value of OKdo’s manufacturing excellence and global market reach.”

OKdo and Useful Sensors’ partnership is another step in OKdo’s exciting journey to provide world-class products, services and solutions to a global customer base.

A live demonstration will be on display at this year’s Embedded World, taking place in Nuremberg, Germany. Please visit the team at Hall 3A, Stand 540.

About Useful Sensors

Useful Sensors Inc is a venture-backed startup founded by Pete Warden and Manjunath Kudlur, who were original members of the TensorFlow team at Google. It offers a range of AI-enabled hardware modules providing capabilities like person detection, gesture recognition, voice interfaces, and QR code scanning, all in low-cost, privacy-first packages. For more information, please visit https://usefulsensors.com/.

About OKdo

OKdo is a global technology company from RS Group plc which is disrupting single board computer (SBC) and IoT segments. Offering a unique combination of hardware, software, development support, manufacturing services and community projects, it is the world’s first business uniquely focused on meeting the rapidly evolving needs of SBC and IoT customers, from makers and entrepreneurs to industrial designers, educators and resellers. For more information, please visit https://www.okdo.com/.

The post Useful Sensors Selects OKdo as its Global Single Board Computer Solutions Partner appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

Laguna Hills, Calif. – March 12, 2023 – BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN, OTCQX: BRCHF, ADR: BCHPY), the world’s first commercial producer of ultra-low power, fully digital, event-based, neuromorphic AI IP, today announced it has validated that its Akida processor family integrates with the Arm^® Cortex^®-M85 processor, unlocking new levels of performance and efficiency for next-generation intelligent edge devices.

Arm Cortex-M85 delivers the highest levels of performance in the Arm Cortex-M family. It enables system developers to build the most sophisticated variety of MCUs and embedded SoCs for IoT and embedded applications that require enhanced digital signal processing (DSP) and machine learning (ML) capabilities. Use cases include smart home devices, robotics, and drone control, secured system controllers and sensor hubs. By successfully demonstrating Akida’s capabilities with the Arm Cortex-M85 in a fully functioning environment, BrainChip paves the way for a new generation of intelligent edge devices that are capable of delivering unprecedented levels of performance and functionality, built on leading-edge technology from Arm.

“In order to serve the diverse and growing IoT market, developers require a new standard of secure, high-performance microcontrollers, combined with endpoint ML capabilities,” said Paul Williamson, SVP and GM, IoT Line of Business at Arm. “The integration of Arm’s highest performance microcontroller with the Akida portfolio enables our partners to deliver on this potential and efficiently handle advanced machine learning workloads.”

The integration of Akida and the Arm Cortex-M85 processor is an important step forward for BrainChip, demonstrating the company’s commitment to developing cutting-edge AI solutions that deliver exceptional performance and efficiency.

“We are delighted Akida can now seamlessly integrate with the Arm Cortex-M85 processor, which is one of the most advanced and efficient MCU platforms available for intelligent IoT,” said Nandan Nayampally, CMO of BrainChip. “This is a significant milestone for BrainChip, as it drives new possibilities for high-performance, low-power AI processing at the edge. We are excited to offer our mutual customers the benefits of this powerful combination of technologies.”

About BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN, OTCQX: BRCHF, ADR: BCHPY)

BrainChip is the worldwide leader in edge AI on-chip processing and learning. The company’s first-to-market, fully digital, event-based AI processor, Akida^TM, uses neuromorphic principles to mimic the human brain, analyzing only essential sensor inputs at the point of acquisition, processing data with unparalleled efficiency, precision, and economy of energy. Akida uniquely enables edge learning local to the chip, independent of the cloud, dramatically reducing latency while improving privacy and data security. Akida Neural processor IP, which can be integrated into SoCs on any process technology, has shown substantial benefits on today’s workloads and networks, and offers a platform for developers to create, tune and run their models using standard AI workflows like Tensorflow/Keras. In enabling effective edge compute to be universally deployable across real world applications such as connected cars, consumer electronics, and industrial IoT, BrainChip is proving that on-chip AI, close to the sensor, is the future, for its customers’ products, as well as the planet. Explore the benefits of Essential AI at www.brainchip.com.

Follow BrainChip on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BrainChip_inc

Follow BrainChip on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7792006

The post BrainChip Integrates Akida with Arm Cortex-M85 Processor, Unlocking AI Capabilities for Edge Devices appeared first on Edge AI and Vision Alliance.

This blog post was originally published at e-con Systems’ website. It is reprinted here with the permission of e-con Systems.

Field of view and focal length are two of the most important lens parameters. As simple as they are, not many understand them thoroughly. Learn what they mean, how the two are related, and why it is important to understand the two concepts thoroughly.

Field of view and focal length are two of the most important concepts when it comes to lenses. While focal length is the defining property of a lens, field of view can vary depending on certain other parameters. And when you select a lens for your embedded vision application, you need to make sure that you pick the right one for your sensor such that the desired field of view is achieved.

In this article, we attempt to learn what focal length and field of view are, their differences, and why it is important to understand the two concepts thoroughly when it comes to choosing a lens for your embedded vision application.

What is field of view?

Field Of View is the maximum area of a scene that a camera can focus on/capture. It is represented in degrees. Depending on how you measure it, FOV can be represented either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally as shown in the image below:

Figure 1: Different types of FOV

How to calculate FOV

FOV of a lens is calculated using the below formula:

Where:

• AFOV – Angular Field of View
• HFOV – Width of the object seen through the lens
• Working distance (WD) – Distance between the lens and the object

However, in most cases, the FOV of a lens is expressed using DFOV or Diagonal Field of View. So, you might have to calculate the DFOV value as well. Let us see how that is done.

Usually, the horizontal dimension (which is nothing but the HFOV) and the working distance are given values. Using these, you would be able to calculate AFOV.

Once this is done, invert the formula used to calculate AFOV as given below:

Now DFOV can be calculated by replacing HFOV with it in the above equation. Since AFOV and working distance are known entities, DFOV can be derived using this.

Similarly, VFOV or Vertical Field Of View can be calculated by replacing HFOV with the VFOV value in the same equation.

What is focal length?

Now let’s come to focal length

Focal length is the defining property of a lens. It is the distance between the lens and the plane of the sensor, and is determined when the lens focuses the object at infinity. It is usually represented in millimeters. Its value depends on the curvature and the material of the lens.

Field of view and focal length – how they are related

The following equation illustrates the relationship between field of view and focal length:

Where f is the focal length of the lens and h is the sensor size.

From this equation, it can be understood that the shorter the focal length, the wider the AFOV, and vice versa. This is clearly depicted in the figure below:

Figure 2: Focal Length and AFOV

The significance of understanding the relationship between field of view and focal length

In embedded vision – in most cases – the image sensor is chosen first. This would mean that the choice of lens is heavily determined by the sensor you use (since AFOV depends on the sensor size). For a given sensor size, to achieve a wider FOV, you need to go with a short focal length lens and vice versa. However, since the focal length cannot be made shorter beyond a point, increasing the sensor size also helps to achieve a wider FOV.

Choosing the right lens for your embedded vision application

Picking the right lens considering multiple factors can sometimes be overwhelming. And this is where e-con Systems can help. While integrating our camera modules, we work closely with our customers to help them choose the best-fit lens for their application. We also extend lens fixation and lens mount customization services.

To learn everything about choosing the right lens for your embedded vision system, please visit the article How to choose the right lens for your embedded camera application.

About e-con Systems

e-con Systems has been raising the bar in embedded vision for close to two decades now. With a wide portfolio of MIPI cameras, USB cameras, GMSL2 cameras, FPD-Link III cameras, and GigE cameras, e-con stands true to its vision of enabling machines to see and understand the world better every single day. We have our cameras deployed in more than 300 customer products and have shipped over 2 million cameras globally.

So if you are looking for help in picking and integrating the right camera into your embedded system, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at camerasolutions@e-consystems.com. Meanwhile, you could browse through our complete portfolio of cameras here.

Prabu Kumar
Chief Technology Officer and Head of Camera Products, e-con Systems

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This market research report was originally published at the Yole Group’s website. It is reprinted here with the permission of the Yole Group.

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Mythic’s unparalleled performance and power consumption is redefining the possibilities for edge AI inference

AUSTIN, Texas – March 9, 2023 – Mythic, the pioneering AI processor company with breakthrough analog compute-in-memory technology, has raised $13 million in a new round of funding. Mythic’s existing investors Atreides Management, DCVC, and Lux Capital contributed to the round, along with new investors Catapult Ventures and Hermann Hauser Investment (which is led by Hermann Hauser, one of the founders of Acorn Computers and the father of ARM semiconductors). Mythic also announced the appointment of its new CEO Dave Fick, who co-founded the company and previously served as CTO.

This investment will help Mythic bring to market its next-generation M2000 series product, which builds on the legacy of Mythic’s M1076 Analog Matrix Processor (Mythic AMP) that is 10X more cost and power-efficient than digital solutions. Mythic’s M1076, which is already shipping to high-profile customers like Lockheed Martin, was the industry’s first to achieve 33ms latency on full HD high-accuracy object detectors like YOLOv5, while running in a cost and power envelope suitable for edge systems. With its unmatched efficiency and performance, Mythic is ushering in the next era of AI innovation for defense applications, enterprises, industrial environments, smart cities, the smart home, and beyond.

“Mythic’s technology is truly one of a kind with our analog computing approach that offers huge leaps in performance and efficiency compared to digital processors, not to mention substantial cost benefits. This new funding will help us accelerate our path forward to help companies to unlock the full potential of edge AI inferencing,” said Dave Fick, co-founder and CEO at Mythic. “Mythic has already seen strong demand for the M1076, so we’re confident that our next-generation processor will be widely adopted in computer vision applications like smart robots, security cameras, drones, and AR headsets. The potential for analog computing is truly limitless.”

Mythic delivers best-in-class power and performance thanks to its analog compute-in-memory (CIM) architecture that uses high-density analog memory to store neural networks completely on-chip – unlike digital solutions which need to swap data on and off chip. This density combined with integrated computation allows Mythic to deliver the same level of performance as a desktop GPU, in a platform that’s more compact, power-efficient, and cost-efficient. As a result, Mythic can bring powerful edge AI inferencing to everything from low-cost drones and tiny doorbell cameras to immersive AR headsets and huge robots.

“Despite being prevalent in our daily lives, the vast majority of AI workloads still run on expensive, power hungry processors in the cloud,” said Rouz Jazayeri, managing director of Catapult Ventures. “The future of AI applications will run on the edge and will require high performance, low latency, and low cost compute all in a low power footprint. Mythic’s Analog Matrix Processor is strongly positioned to lead this transition and help unlock a whole new set of Edge AI applications thanks to their world class power and cost efficient architecture.”

While Mythic’s technology is ideal for a wide range of applications, what is especially notable is the transformative impact it will have on public safety. Mythic’s powerful analog compute architecture can process full-resolution video at the edge – rather than having to send all the information to the cloud – so security cameras and drones can detect threats in real-time. Mythic’s compact and power-efficient platform also allows drones to fly for longer and go higher, and its powerful computer vision processing allows objects that are smaller or farther away to be identified more accurately.

“At Lockheed Martin Ventures we want to take smart risks by investing in advanced computing capabilities that our customers can adopt and expand to outpace complex threats within a rapidly evolving landscape,” said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures. “As geopolitical tensions continue to rise, it is imperative that we continue to work with our customers in identifying their needs and supporting companies that can scale technologies that keep the U.S. and its allies in front of those threats.”

Mythic has raised $178M in funding to date. Under Dave’s leadership, the company recently restructured to be more capital efficient by keeping the development of Mythic’s key differentiating technology in-house with a tight-knit team. The company plans to further grow its headcount in 2024 as the M2000 series nears production.

About Mythic

Mythic has developed a unified hardware and software platform featuring its unique Mythic Analog Compute Engine (Mythic ACE) to deliver revolutionary power, cost, and performance that shatters digital barriers preventing AI innovation at the edge. The Mythic Analog Matrix Processor (Mythic AMP) makes it much easier and more affordable to deploy powerful AI solutions, from the data center to the edge device.

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