EDATEC's ED-AIC2000 Is a Rugged Edge AI Camera Powered by a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4
Designed for computer vision at the edge, this rugged and weatherproof machine houses your choice of CM4 system-on-module.
Chinese industrial electronics specialist EDATEC has launched a rugged smart camera system, designed for on-device artificial intelligence work at the edge and powered by a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) system-on-module (SOM).
"[The] ED-AIC2000 is a highly integrated industrial AI camera equipped with a fixed or liquid [autofocus] lens, LED illumination, industrial grade image sensor and a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4)," the company explains of its device's design. "Equipped with varifocal [autofocus] lens and LED illumination, ED-AIC2000 reduces installation and maintenance effort significantly."
The idea behind the system, which was brought to our attention by CNX Software, is to run on-device machine learning workloads using the camera sensor as an input. AS a result, there's no surprise to find a two megapixel global shutter sensor front-and-center in its design — though those who need higher resolutions and for whom motion artifacts aren't a problem can opt for a five megapixel rolling shutter version instead.
An array of LEDs can be installed on the front for illumination, while a red cross laser provides an aim point — and, if specified with what EDATEC describes as a "electronic liquid" autofocus lens can serve to assist the autofocus system. There's support for 10-30V DC power input, RS232 and gigabit Ethernet interfaces, and four optically-isolated general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins, with the hardware protected by an IP67-rated robust aluminum chassis.
On the software side, EDATEC supplies the unit with pre-installed tools including including unspecified "AI algorithm demo applications" powered by OpenCV and Python, while also promising support for scanning of one-dimensional bar codes and two-dimensional codes including QR Codes — plus optical character recognition for pulling in text from captured images.
More information on the unit is available on the EDATEC website, while pricing begins at $238 plus shipping for the base version with 1GB RAM, 8GB eMMC storage, and the fixed-focus lens with standard field of view.