JeVois-A33 computer vision camera was unveiled at the end of last year through a Kickstarter campaign. Powered by an Allwinner A33 quad core Cortex A7 processor, and a 1.3MP camera sensor, the system could detect motion, track faces and eyes, detect & decode ArUco makers & QR codes, follow lines for autonomous cars, etc.. thanks to JeVois framework.
Most rewards from KickStarter shipped in April of this year, so it’s quite possible some of the regular readers of this blog are already familiar the camera. But the developer (Laurent Itti) re-contacted me recently, explaining they add improves the software with Python support, and new features such as the capability of running deep neural networks directly on the processor inside the smart camera. He also wanted to send a review sample, which I received today, but I got a bit more than I expected, so I’ll start the review with an unboxing of they call the “Developer / Robotics Kit”.
I got the kit in a white package, so I’ll skip the photo, and checking out directly the content.
I was really expecting to receive a tiny camera, and not much else. So my first reaction was: “what!?” 🙂
You’ll find 5 mini USB cables inside (from top left to bottom middle):
- USB to micro serial adapter cable, 1m long, to access the serial console in the camera when running in debug mode, or while troubleshooting Arduino code
- mini USB + micro USB splitter cable, 15cm long, to power both the camera and Arduino board from the power bank
- mini USB Y cable, 80cm long, to power the board via two USB 2.0 ports or to one USB 3.0 port on your host computer
- mini USB cable, 23cm long, to power the camera from a USB port or power bank.
- mini USB cable, 75cm long, to connect the camera to one USB 3.0 port or power bank.
The kit also includes an 8GB micro SD card pre-loaded with JeVois software, an SD adapter, a micro SD card reader, a 5V USB tester compatible with QuickCharge 2.0 to monitor the power consumption of the camera with your chosen algorithm, a 2,600 mAh power bank (large enough to power the camera for several hours), an Arduino compatible Pro mini board based on Microchip Atmel Atmega 32U4 MCU, and a business card providing useful information such as a link to a Quick Start Guide.
Oh… I almost forgot. Can you see the “fan” in the middle of photo above? That’s the actual JeVois-A33 camera. I knew it was small, but once you put it into your hands, you realize how tiny it is. The cable on the left of the camera is a micro serial cable to connect to an MCU board.
The back of the camera features all the ports and connectors with a micro SD slot, a mini USB port, the micro serial port connector (which looks like a battery connector), and a dual color LED on left of the micro serial connector that indicates power and camera status.
The bottom reveals an opening to cool down AXP223 PMIC.
If you’re interested in the exact developer/robotics kit I’ve received, you can purchase it for $99.99 on JeVois, Amazon, or RobotShop (with locations in US, Canada, Japan, and France). But if you just want the camera without all cable and accessories, $49.99 will do.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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