Brainchip, a leading provider of ultra-low power high performance AI technology, has joined forces with Magik Eye, a developer of 3D sensors. Based on MagikEye’s Invertible Light 3D depth sensing technology and Brainchip's Akida neuromorphic processor the new device provides what the companies claim is the smallest, fastest and most power-efficient 3D depth sensing.
The device uses a standard CMOS image sensor and a regular dot projector along with a proprietary and patented technique to produce 3D point cloud data. Coupled with the Akida neuromorphic processor, the companies intend to provide a total 3D vision solution to customers for fast 3D object detection and recognition in applications, including robotics, automotive and emerging consumer products, such as AR/VR and others.
The MagikEye technology addresses the need for devices to see clearly and understand the surrounding environment, which is critical for new classes of 3D vision applications. The BrainChip Akida neuromorphic processor utlises AI to gather new insights from the 3D data.
“The combination of advanced neuromorphic processing with a low power 3D sensor is the perfect solution for many products in end-point devices,” said Richard Wawrzyniak, Principal Analyst for ASIC & SoC at Semico Research Corp.” 3D imaging is attracting great interest in the market today and the BrainChip architecture, which delivers a power-efficient, scalable solution that enables increased functionality with minimal impact on system cost and the power budget, is the right fit for this class of applications. It is not surprising their solution would be paired with the MagikEye’s Invertible Light Technology for real-time object detection in all types of applications, where low power and high throughput are valued elements."
BrainChip’s Akida neuromorphic processor is suited to provide the analytics necessary for manufacturers to implement a complete 3D vision system. With ultra-low power and the ability to directly process the 3D image generated by the MagikEye sensor, the companies will be able to jointly address gesture recognition in Smart Home applications, such as gaming and other consumer products. Smart Transportation and Smart City applications are additional primary markets for collaboration. This includes Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV).
“By combining the strengths of BrainChip’s Neural Network capabilities with MagikEye’s Invertible Light, we are excited about the game-changing benefits that customers will experience, in terms of a total 3D vision solution for robotics, machine vision and many other new applications,” said Takeo Miyazawa, MagikEye, founder and CEO.
“Our relationship with MagikEye is exciting,” said Louis DiNardo, BrainChip CEO. “The innovation brought to the market by their proprietary Invertible Light technology is impressive and this collaboration provides both companies an opportunity to address large and growing markets with outstanding technology to solve difficult real-world challenges.”
