New AI Vision Solution Kit With Cloud Connection: Basler Introduces Embedded Vision System For Cloud-based Machine Learning Applications

Basler, as a solution provider for embedded vision systems, introduces its new AI Vision Solution Kit with Cloud Connection. It extends embedded vision development kits with software components that enable flexible access to cloud services. Together with the AI accelerator of the Processing Board, they form the basis for lean prototyping of AI-based IoT applications for powerful, integrated vision systems.

The AI Vision Solution Kit enables developers to use, train and deploy machine learning models provided in the cloud on the edge device. For this purpose, pre-trained neural networks are available in the cloud as software containers that are designed for direct use. Users also have the option of expanding these networks as required.

The software containers with the selected machine learning models can be loaded onto the edge device, the embedded system, for prototyping of application examples. The inference and actual image processing is thus performed on the edge device. In this way, cloud-specific application examples can be tested easily and with little programming effort and metadata can be generated. In the next step, users can send the metadata to the cloud via a defined interface and store it in a database, for example, or visualize it with the help of a dashboard using the appropriate tools.

New software architecture in collaboration with cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS)
In cooperation with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Basler has developed an optimized software environment. With Basler Container Management, the company offers developers a new software module on the edge device that includes a direct connection to the cloud. This makes it easier for users of embedded vision systems to use selected machine learning models and cloud-specific tools.

The Basler Cloud Server is used to provide the various software modules in the cloud. Machine learning models and cloud-specific tools are converted and made available here for download onto the edge device. Using Basler Container Management and the Basler Cloud Server, software containers can be easily loaded from the cloud to the embedded vision system and used for image processing applications.

Powerful hardware
The kit's embedded hardware consists of the robust and industry-proven Basler dart BCON for MIPI camera with a resolution of 13 MP. The processing board is based on SolidRun's new Hummingboard Ripple, an AI optimized board that houses an NXP i.MX 8M Mini SoC and an AI accelerator. Together, they are the basis for maximum performance.

Basler is thus expanding its solution offering with an AI Vision Solution Kit with Cloud Connection for rapid prototyping of IoT/AI-based image processing systems. Besides the cooperation with AWS, further versions of the kit are planned with other cloud providers.