Qualcomm Debuts Two New Entry-Level Robotics Platforms

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things are all rapidly growing areas right now. As a result, many companies are releasing new products to meet the new needs and growing demands of developers working to create innovative new solutions in these areas. Qualcomm, a leading provider of many wireless chipsets, is no exception. They recently announced they are introducing a pair of new robotics platforms, the RB1 and RB2, designed for low-power, entry-level robotics, and IoT applications.

The two platforms include system-on-module (SOM) designs with the new Qualcomm chipsets providing the computing power. The RB1 is based around the Qualcomm QRB2210. The QRB2210 is equipped with a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and an Adreno 702 GPU. In addition, a sixth-generation Hexagon DSP is included and the chip can support 1080p video encoding and decoding. The module provides 2GB LPDDR4 system memory and 16GB eMMC flash. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS support. On the other hand, the RB2 platform is built around the Qualcomm QRB4210. It boasts many of the same features as the QRB2210 but with improved performance. For instance, the CPU is an octa-core Qualcomm Kyro 260, the GPU includes a Qualcomm Adreno 610, and the included DSP is Qualcomm’s Heaxagon 683. Furthermore, there's an AI accelerator capable of 1.7 TOPS. Both modules come in a package sized at 35 x 34 x 2.9mm.

In addition to the modules, the robotics platforms also feature many connectors and ports for interfacing to peripheral devices. A microSD card slot is included, an HDMI port, a low profile gigabit ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports and a USB type-C port. On board one can find various supplemental devices as well. This includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a micro USB port for serial console debugging, multiple DIP switches, a digital microphone, and a 4-pin fan connector. Additionally, various connectors are available for expansion boards. It is worth noting that the platform consists of two different boards. A main IO board houses many of the peripheral devices and connectors. The RB1 and RB2 modules are offered on interposer boards that easily mate to the main IO board.

The two new platforms are currently available in three different kits. A core kit consists of the RB1 or RB2 platform (IO board and SOM) with antennas and a power supply. The other two options are a vision kit and a full kit. The vision kit includes everything in the core kit with the addition of a camera and mezzanine board. The full kit includes everything in the afore mentioned kit with the addition of a display that looks to be about the size of a cell phone. The kits are now available with the core kit costing $249, the vision kit costing $499, and the full kit costing $549.