Sipeed Updates Its MaixCAM Edge AI Camera System, Unveils the MaixCAM-Pro
The same Sophgo SG2002 as the original MaixCAM, but there are plenty of other improvements of note.
Embedded electronics specialist Sipeed has unveiled an upgraded version of its MaixCAM smart camera platform, dubbed the MaixCAM-Pro — now offering a built-in 2.4" IPS touchscreen display, 1W speaker, integrated inertial measurement unit (IMU), and an optional power management chip.
"MaixCAM is a hardware product designed for the rapid implementation of AI vision, auditory, and AIoT applications. It serves as a platform for quickly verifying product prototypes and rapid mass production," Sipeed explains of its updated creation. "MaixCAM-Pro provides a powerful yet cost-effective processor, along with accessories such as a camera, display, Wi-Fi, and a comprehensive, easy-to-use software ecosystem."
Sipeed unveiled the original MaixCAM back in May, promising an all-in-one development platform for computer vision powered by a Sophgo SG2002 system-on-chip — and using its integrated tensor processing unit (TPU) coprocessor to deliver one tera-operations per second (TOPS) of compute for on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence. The MaixCAM-Pro makes no change here, using the same model of chip backed by the same 256MB of DDR4 memory — but makes a range of improvements elsewhere.
The original unit's 2.3" 552×368 touchscreen display has been upgrade to a larger and higher-resolution 2.4" 640×480 panel, there's now a 1W speaker alongside the integrated microphone, and a new six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU). There's a new real-time clock with button-cell battery backup, and the option of an X-Powers AXP2101 power management chip — available only on a model that includes a bundled lithium-ion battery.
Other changes include the inclusion of an LED to illuminate the captured scene, a physical power button, and expanded connectivity for external hardware: a 0.1" PMOD interface alongside a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) interface with 12 digital inputs/outputs and power, and a small-pitch 1.25mm five-pin extension interface. Finally, the 3D-printed case has been tweaked and now includes a 1/4" threaded hole for mounting on a tripod or similar.
Software written for the original MaixCAM — including the MaixPy Python software development kit, MaixCDK C/C++ software development kit, MaixVision integrated development environment, and MaixHub AI training and deployment platform — remain compatible with the new version, Sipeed has confirmed.
More information is available on the Sipeed wiki; the device has not yet been listed on the company's official AliExpress store, but Linux Gizmos has spotted it for pre-order on reseller Youyeetoo starting at $54.95 without camera module rising to $88 with camera module and battery included.