Single-board computers (SBCs) are fully functional, compact computers that can perform a wide variety of tasks and have seen uses in various fields.
The Raspberry Pi series of SBCs are perhaps the most popular ones in the world, with manufacturers like BeagleBoard, Orange Pi, NanoPi, etc. being the other well-known ones.
As the demand for AI-driven products and services rises with every passing day, SBC manufacturers have had to adapt to it, as the likes of NVIDIA have already had an “edge” over them.
In a recent announcement, Raspberry Pi has taken a step towards beefing up its line up of SBCs with a power up called the “Raspberry Pi AI Kit”, that aims to deliver consistent performance for AI-specific loads.
Let's get into it right away! 😃
Raspberry Pi AI Kit: What to Expect?
Developed in partnership with Hailo, a producer of Edge AI processors, the Raspberry Pi AI Kit is a combination of the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+, and a Hailo AI acceleration module that contains a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU).
This is not meant to be a standalone piece of hardware, but is supposed to be used in tandem with a Raspberry Pi 5 to be “an accessible, cost-effective, and power-efficient way to integrate high-performance AI”.
Some of its key specifications include:
- The Hailo-8L M.2 Module.
- An NPU capable of 13 TOPS.
- Conforms to the M.2 2242 form factor.
- Temperature tolerance, ranging from 40 °C to 85 °C.
When equipped with this kit, users can carry out AI vision tasks, object detection, pose estimation, facial landmarking, and really any other supported task that would not overwhelm the hardware.
You can see the object recognition in action in the video below. If you want to check more such videos of this kit in action, head over to the official playlist on YouTube.
As for some other features of the Raspberry Pi AI Kit. There's full integration with the Raspberry Pi image software subsystem for easy image handling, support for both first-party and third-party cameras, the ability to run multiple neural networks from a single camera, and more.
Can't wait to see what kind of Raspberry Pi projects tinkerers come up with after this.
Ankush Das
Want to Get It?
Priced at $70, this kit can be sourced from any one of the approved resellers listed on the official website. Be sure to choose the correct region before proceeding to buy.
As for what you get in the box, there's the Hailo AI module, a Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+, pre-installed thermal pad, mounting hardware kit, and a 16 mm stacking GPIO header.
You can learn more about this new Raspberry Pi offering on the official blog.
Wait, You need to also see this! 🔥
There is a very cool case from Fractal for the Raspberry Pi that Steve from Gamers Nexus took a look at as part of his coverage of Computex 2024.
It takes design cues from Fractal's North series of cases, with a sleek-looking wooden front to it. If you ask me, that case would complement a Raspberry Pi quite well, and would be a hot-seller if it ever hits the market.
I truly hope Fractal listens to the community and launches it.
💬 Are you going to try out the Raspberry AI Kit? Do let me know below!
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