Raspberry Pi AI camera shoulders AI processing workload

The Sony component “supports on-board processing for a variety of neural network models, leaving the processor in the host Raspberry Pi free to perform other operations,” says Raspberry Pi.

In terms of picture quality, we’re talking 4,056 x 3,040 10bit at 10frame/s or 2,028 x 1,520 at 40frame/s.

Apparently, there’s also an RP2040 MCU involved for neural network frame firmware, a DSP and RAM. And you can augment still or video images with tensor meta data for further processing on the host. This would be running rpicam-apps or Picamera2.

In terms of size, the camera module measures 25 x 24 x 11.9mm.

How much does it cost? It will set you back around £55. For example, Farnell is selling the camera at this price.

“This new AI camera module is a remarkable addition to the Raspberry Pi range,” said Simon Wade, Senior Global Product Manager of Single Board Computing at Farnell.

“As AI-driven applications proliferate across many industries, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Raspberry Pi and Sony are leading the way to bring optic processing power to the edge. No matter which Raspberry Pi SBC you use, it is compatible with the AI Camera module.”

See also: Raspberry Pi Global Shutter Camera addresses rolling shutter artefacts