Mekotronics R58-PTZ video surveillance/live streaming embedded computer features a PTZ camera, two HDMI input ports

Mekotronics R58-PTZ embedded computer with pan and tilt camera

I swear it’s not an AI-generated picture of a device, but the Mekotronics R58-PTZ is real and just another unusual Rockchip RK3588 hardware platform from the company that’s an embedded computer with a 3-inch display on the front panel and a PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera placed on top. Mekotronics describes it as a live-streaming box designed for video surveillance, so I assume its main use case is to leverage to built-in 6 TOPS NPU for live streaming with some real-time effect and/or surveillance applications detecting persons, masks, etc… especially it also offers two HDMI inputs for extra cameras. Mekotronics R58-PTZ specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with CPU – 4x CortexA76  cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x CortexA55 core @ 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.2, Vulkan 1.2 Video decoder – 8Kp60 H.265, VP9, AVS2, 8Kp30 H.264 AVC/MVC, 4Kp60 […]

Radxa ROCK 5T SBC packs ROCK 5 ITX mini-ITX motherboard’s features onto a 110x80mm PCB

ROCK 5T

Radxa ROCK 5T is yet another Rockchip RK3588 SBC whose main selling point is to pack most features of the ROCK 5 ITX mini-ITX motherboard (170x170mm) into a much smaller 110x80mm board. The board features up to 32GB RAM, M.2 2280 sockets for NVMe SSDs, four independent display outputs via HDMI, USB-C, and MIPI DSI, HDMI input and camera interfaces, two 2.5GbE RJ45 jacks, on-board WiFi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.x, and an M.2 Key-B socket for cellular connectivity. Radxa ROCK 5T specifications: (with differences highlighted in bold or strikethrough) SoC – Rockchip RK3588 or RK3588J (industrial grade) CPU – Octa-core processor with four Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.2 GHz (industrial) / 2.4 GHz (commercial), four Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali G610MC4 GPU VPU 8Kp60 10-bit H.265 / VP9 / AVS2  / AV1 decoder, 8Kp30 H.264  decoder 8Kp30 H.265 / H.264 encoder AI accelerator […]

SECO’s SMARC-QCS5430 SMARC SoM and devkit feature Qualcomm QCS5430 SoC for Edge AI and 5G applications

SOM SMARC QCS5430 SoM

SECO has announced early engineering samples for its SOM-SMARC-QCS5430 system-on-module (SoM) and devkit designed to support IoT and edge computing applications. Built around the Qualcomm QCS5430 processor this SMARC-compliant SoM targets industrial automation, robotics, smart cities, and surveillance.

The module also offers dual MIPI-CSI interfaces for camera and connectivity options including USB 3.1, PCIe Gen3, dual GbE, and optional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. SECO’s DEV-KIT-SMARC industrial devkit includes all the necessary components for rapid prototyping and integration.

u-blox RUBY-W2 is a family of Wi-Fi 7 automotive-grade modules for infotainment and telematics applications

RUBY W2 series Automotive Wi Fi 7 modules

u-blox has recently released the RUBY-W2 series (RUBY-W273-05A and RUBY-W295-05A) of automotive Wi-Fi 7 modules designed for advanced infotainment and telematics applications. These modules support tri-band Wi-Fi 7 and dual-mode Bluetooth 5.4, with up to Gbps (PHY) of throughput, supporting simultaneous use cases for in-car hotspots, Apple CarPlay, and multi-client video streaming. Key features of this module include Multi-Link Operation (MLO) with Dual Band Simultaneous (DBS) and High Band Simultaneous (HBS) modes, 2×2 MU-MIMO, Bluetooth LE Audio, long-range Bluetooth, security with WPA2/3, and secure boot. The modules are based on Qualcomm’s QCA6787AQ or QCA6797AQ automotive chipsets and connect to the host via PCIe for Wi-Fi and UART/PCM for Bluetooth. RUBY-W2 specifications: Chipset Qualcomm QCA6787AQ for RUBY-W273 Qualcomm QCA6797AQ for RUBY-W295) Wireless Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) RUBY-W273 – Dual Band Simultaneous (DBS) (2.4 GHz + 5/6 GHz) RUBY-W295 – High Band Simultaneous (HBS), any two bands (2.4, 5, or 6 […]

Toradex launches its first SMARC modules with NXP SoCs for improved compatibility and supply chain

Toradex SMARC modules with NXP i.MX 8MPlus and i.MX 95

Toradex has introduced its first SMARC-compliant system-on-modules (SoMs) with the SMARC iMX8M Plus and SMARC iMX95 SoMs based on NXP i.MX 8M Plus and NXP i.MX 95 SoC respectively. The company has made proprietary system-on-modules for years with the Colibri, Apalis, Aquila, and Verdin families. Those typically are cost-optimized and use most or all I/Os from the selected SoC, but customers are tied to one supplier: Toradex. To offer more flexibility, the company decided to introduce its first standardized system-on-modules by selecting the SMARC 2.2 standard for compatibility with existing SMARC-compliant carrier boards and adding the Swiss company as an alternative supplier. Highlights of the SMARC iMX8M Plus module: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus CPU Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 application processor @ 1.6 GHz Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 800 MHz GPU – Vivante GC380 2D GPU and GC7000UL 3D GPU VPU – 1080p60 video decoder & encoder AI accelerator […]

Review of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for BBC Micro:bit

Smarthon Smart City IoT Starter Kit review

SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit is an educational kit for 10+ years old teaching basic projects from turning an LED to more complex projects with multiple sensors, IFTTT integration, and mobile app development. The company sent us a sample of the Start Kit along with a BBC Micro:bit board for review, and we’ll report our experience with the kit in this review. Unboxing of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit The package I received includes the SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for Micro:bit and a BBC Micro:bit V2 board since it’s not included in the starter kit. The bottom side of the package lists the main components and features a QR code pointing to the product page. The package includes cardboard and wooden models, various cables, a 180° servo, a screw set, a city map, the Smarthon IoT:bit carrier board for the BBC Micro:bit, […]

Qualcomm QCS6490-based Rubik Pi 3 AI SBC supports Android, Linux, and LU operating systems

RUBIK Pi AI SBC

Thundercomm has officially launched the Rubik Pi 3 SBC built around the Qualcomm QCS6490 SoC with a 12.5 TOPS AI accelerator. The SBC comes in a “PI-CO ITX” form factor that combines the Pico-ITX standard and the 40-pin GPIO header found on Raspberry Pi SBCs. The SBC comes with a standard set of interfaces, including USB, HDMI out, MIPI-CSI camera support, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, and much more. Additionally, the SBC features a 40-pin header for GPIO, UART for debugging, audio output, and RTC battery support. The company mentions that it is the first Pi-based system using Qualcomm’s AI platforms, hence it supports Raspberry Pi HAT/HAT+ expansion boards, making it suitable for various AI, IoT, and edge computing projects. Rubik Pi 3 SBC specifications: SoC – Qualcomm QCS6490 CPU – Octa-core Kryo 670 with 1x Gold Plus core (Cortex-A78) @ 2.7 GHz, 3x Gold cores (Cortex-A78) @ 2.4 GHz, 4x […]

Looktech’s AI-powered smart glasses offer a 14-hour battery life, 13MP camera, and linear audio for $209 and up (Crowdfunding)

Looktech AI-powered smart glasses

Looktech AI Glasses are AI-powered smart glasses with a “privacy-focused design” and several lens options. They are similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses but support GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini instead of Meta AI. Like Meta’s smart glasses, the Looktech AI Glasses incorporate headphones, a camera, and an AI model for a hands-free experience and personalized AI assistance. According to Looktech, the smart glasses can track calories, find recipes, set reminders, and perform image searches. The in-built 13MP camera can be used to capture high-res images and videos and the open-ear dual speakers provide “rich, spatialized immersive audio while keeping you aware of your surroundings.” Looktech has given some hardware specifications for the product but the list is a bit sparse. We have covered the much cheaper but underpowered LILYGO T-Glass. Although there are no promises of a physical AI agent, the Looktech glasses are similar to the M5Stack’s Module LLM […]

EmbeddedTS embedded systems design