BitFlow and Advantech Facilitate Next Generation of Autonomous Mobile Robots
BitFlow CoaXPress frame grabbers are compatible with Advantech Edge AI Inference Boxes to bring Vision AI in AMRs.
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Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), which can navigate and perform tasks without human intervention, are rapidly incorporating GPU-powered Vision AI systems. In dynamic warehouse settings, Vision AI helps AMRs adapt and learn diverse tasks such as route optimization, load management, inventory level monitoring, and predictive maintenance. By making warehouse operations more streamlined and reliable, Vision AI-guided AMRs are contributing to improved operational efficiency and safety, while reducing labor costs.
Analyzing visual data in real-time takes powerful computing and equally powerful connectivity. That's where BitFlow and its parent company, Advantech come in. BitFlow has announced that its Cyton™ and Claxon™ CoaXPress (CXP) frame grabbers are now fully compatible with Advantech's Edge AI inference systems built on the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin platform. The BitFlow Linux AArch64 (64-bit ARM) SDK enables seamless integration of its frame grabbers with the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit. Together, the BitFlow and Advantech hardware form a foundation for faster, more accurate Vision AI solutions in ARMs.
BitFlow CXP frame grabbers transfer camera data at rates up to 12.5GB/second over a single 75 Ohm coaxial cable, or up to a staggering 50GB/second when four cables are aggregated using a quad link model. Besides data, control commands and triggers can be sent simultaneously to the camera with trigger accuracy of +/- 2 nanoseconds, along with supplying 13W Power over CXP (PoCXP) with SafePower™.
Isolating power with PoCXP means cameras connected to a BitFlow frame grabber are not subjected to electrical interference from neighboring motors that drive the AMR. In addition, CXP cables can generally run up to 40 meters (131 feet), which helps system designers install cameras on the ARM in the best possible way and gets around the distance drawbacks of other protocols.
With the iModule expansion PCIe slot, the Advantech AIR-030 and MIC-733-AO AI Inference System Boxes provide plug-and-play connectivity with BitFlow's x8 PCI Express Gen 3.0 frame grabbers.As a result of this connectivity, Time to Market and associated development costs for AMR manufacturers can be significantly reduced.
Like BitFlow Cyton and Claxon frame grabbers, the Advantech AI boxes have compact footprints for the space-restricted dense interiors of AMRs. Advantech AI boxes are also ruggedly engineered to withstand wide operating temperatures, high humidity, and the heavy vibrations from constant motion in AMR operations.
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