VIA Technologies and Lucid team up for integrated 3D sensing developer kit
VIA Technologies has partnered with AI vision startup Lucid to build an integrated software and hardware developer kit for embedding AI-based depth sensing into dual- and multi-camera devices for a range of applications, including security, retail, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.
The VIA Edge AI 3D Developer Kit leverages Lucid’s proprietary 3D Fusion Technology, reducing the cost, power, and space consumption necessary for accurate depth and 3D sensing compared with traditional hardware solutions, according to the announcement. The kit’s AI depth capability runs on a Qualcomm APQ8096SG embedded processor, featuring Qualcomm’s AI Engine and support for multiple cameras, which Lucid says delivers a unique pure machine-learning software solution.
“Through this exciting partnership, VIA and Lucid together are tackling the fast scaling required by depth sensing with our Edge AI platforms and systems. We see major applications not only for security cameras, but also smart retail, robots, drones, and especially autonomous vehicles,” said Richard Brown, Vice-President of International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “This collaboration will yield a hardware/software combination where VIA provides customizable and embeddable Edge AI developer kits, systems, and cameras with Lucid’s AI solution as an integrated software module. This will provide a tightly-integrated package for all device makers looking to kickstart the development of depth sensing capabilities.”
Many new technologies rely on depth sensing, but the hardware systems based on emissions and lasers that traditionally provide that capability significantly affect the total cost, size, and power consumption of devices, the companies say. The announcement suggests that the new developer kit avoids these issues, which also helps speed up system deployment and scaling.
“This partnership will deliver a superior system in both cost and performance, addressing an urgent pain point for device makers in the market,” said Han Jin, CEO and Co-founder, Lucid. “It is also simplifying development efforts for a wide range of IOT and dual camera devices, compared to previously more expensive and bulky hardware-based depth solutions.”
Jin said earlier this year that Lucid sees increasing number of devices with dual cameras as a market opportunity for its 3D Fusion Technology.
Lucid and VIA will demonstrate a prototype of the VIA Edge AI 3D Developer Kit at ISC East in New York November 14 and 15. The kit will be made available in limited quantities for evaluation later this year, and reach volume distribution in early 2019.
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