BrainChip Previews Akida Edge Box, a New Edge AI Device for Vision-Based Applications

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif., Dec. 15, 2023 — BrainChip Holdings Ltd. has released previews of the industry’s first Edge box based on neuromorphic technology built in collaboration with VVDN Technologies, a premier electronics and manufacturing company.

The Akida Edge Box—expected to begin pre-sales on January 15th, 2024—powers AI applications in challenging environments where performance and efficiency are essential. The device will be demonstrated for the first time at CES 2024, January 9-12 in Las Vegas.

Designed for vision-based AI workloads, the compact Akida Edge box is intended for video analytics, facial recognition, and object detection, and can extend intelligent processing capabilities that integrate inputs from various other sensors. This device is compact, powerful, and enables cost-effective, scalable AI solutions at the Edge.

BrainChip’s event-based neural processing, which closely mimics the learning ability of the human brain, delivers essential performance within an energy-efficient, portable form factor, while offering cost-effectiveness surpassing market standards for edge AI computing appliances. BrainChip’s Akida neuromorphic processors are capable of on-chip learning that enables customization and personalization on device without support from the cloud, enhancing privacy and security while also reducing training overhead, which is a growing cost for AI services.

“BrainChip’s neuromorphic technology gives the Akida Edge box the ‘edge’ in demanding markets such as industrial, manufacturing, warehouse, high-volume retail, and medical care,” said Sean Hehir, CEO of BrainChip. “We are excited to partner with an industry leader like VVDN technologies to bring groundbreaking technology to the market.”

“There is a strong demand for cost-effective, flexible edge AI computation across many industries,” said Puneet Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, VVDN Technologies. “VVDN is excited to offer OEMs its experience and expertise in bringing the advanced, transformative technology integrations that meet market needs and eventually help them with faster time to market.”

BrainChip’s Akida Edge Box is suitable for environments that require cost-effective and low-latency AI processing. In security and surveillance, it can automatically detect and report intrusion, identify individuals in restricted areas, and perform behavior analysis to recognize suspicious behaviors or potential threats.

In retail and warehousing, it can assist in inventory management and loss prevention by identifying when shelves are empty, when restocking is needed, and when merchandise is removed without authorization. Behavior analysis capabilities can also help retailers understand how customers interact with products and store layouts to maximize profitability.

The Akida Edge Box brings AI to industrial settings for visual detection applications such as quality inspection, identifying defects or irregularities in products, and integration with factory robotic systems for precise object manipulation. It can be used to enhance plant and worker safety, identify whether workers are using proper safety gear, following protocols and proper workflows, and identify malfunctions in assembly lines.

Healthcare applications include patient monitoring, such as noting a patient’s physical movements to ensure safety and provide alerts for falls or unusual behavior. In rehabilitation facilities it can track and analyze patient movements to aid in physical therapy. In elder care settings it can be used to detect falls or other situations that require staff assistance or intervention.

About VVDN

VVDN is a Product Engineering, Software & Manufacturing company focused on designing & manufacturing end-to-end products across several technology vertical markets (5G, Data Center, Networking and Wi-Fi, Vision, Automotive, IoT, Cloud & Apps). VVDN’s India HQ is located at Gurgaon, India and its North America HQ’s is located in Fremont, CA, USA. VVDN serves global customers across several regions including US, Canada, Europe, India, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. VVDN has 11 advanced Product Engineering Centers in India and the world, which are fully equipped to design & test the complete hardware & software required to develop a complete product or solution. VVDN’s 7 Manufacturing facilities are located at Manesar, Gurgaon, and Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India, which includes in-house best-in-class SMT Factory, Molding & Tooling Factory, Die Casting, Antenna Assembly, Product Assembly Factory, and Product Certifications labs. VVDN’s Engineering & Manufacturing facilities are fully compiled to develop & manufacture Enterprise, Consumer, Industrial, and Automotive-grade products. For more information visit https://www.vvdntech.com.

About BrainChip Holdings Ltd.

BrainChip is the worldwide leader in Edge AI on-chip processing and learning. The company’s first-to-market, fully digital, event-based AI processor, Akida, uses neuromorphic principles to mimic the human brain, analyzing only essential sensor inputs at the point of acquisition, processing data with unparalleled efficiency, precision, and economy of energy. Akida uniquely enables Edge learning local to the chip, independent of the cloud, dramatically reducing latency while improving privacy and data security. Akida Neural processor IP, which can be integrated into SoCs on any process technology, has shown substantial benefits on today’s workloads and networks, and offers a platform for developers to create, tune and run their models using standard AI workflows like Tensorflow/Keras. In enabling effective Edge compute to be universally deployable across real world applications such as connected cars, consumer electronics, and industrial IoT, BrainChip is proving that on-chip AI, close to the sensor, is the future, for its customers’ products, as well as the planet. Explore the benefits of Essential AI at www.brainchip.com.

Source: BrainChip