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Cartagena

Regular
Uuuuuuummm, read this........

Sony and Infineon collaborating with BRN for San Jose.......
the city....

View attachment 45336




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Sony Invests in Raspberry Pi, Aims to Add Its AITRIOS Edge AI Platform to the Ecosystem​

New expansion to an already-close relationship adds greater weight to suggestions of AI acceleration on the Raspberry Pi 5.​


Gareth HalfacreeFollow
5 months ago • HW101 / Machine Learning & AI
image_OL4z3gorvv.png



Sony Semiconductor Solutions has announced an investment in Raspberry Pi Ltd, the for-profit arm of the Raspberry Pi empire, telegraphing hopes that it will be able to make its AITRIOS edge artificial intelligence (edge AI) platform the go-to way to boost the single-board computers' capabilities for low-power on-device machine learning.
"Sony Group is a longstanding and valued strategic partner. Our pre-existing relationship encompasses contract manufacturing, and the provision of image sensors and other semiconductor products," explains Eben Upton, Raspberry Pi chief executive officer and co-founder, of the companies' relationship. "This transaction will allow us to expand our partnership, bringing Sony Semiconductor Solutions' line of AI products to the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, and helping our users to build exciting new machine-learning applications at the edge."
Raspberry Pi has received a financial shot in the arm from Sony's semiconductor division, with a view to pushing the AITRIOS platform. (📷: Gareth Halfacree)

Raspberry Pi has received a financial shot in the arm from Sony's semiconductor division, with a view to pushing the AITRIOS platform. (📷: Gareth Halfacree)

"Our goal is to provide new value to a variety of industries and support them in solving issues using our innovative edge AI sensing technology built around image sensors," says Terushi Shimizu, Sony Semiconductor Solutions' president and chief executive officer. "We are very pleased to be partnering with Raspberry Pi Ltd. to bring our AITRIOS platform — which supports the development of unique and diverse solutions utilizing our edge AI devices — to the Raspberry Pi user and developer community, and provide a unique development experience."
AITRIOS is Sony's edge AI sensing platform, designed to make it easier to develop vision-based machine learning applications which operate both on-device and with cloud computing capabilities where required. " The name 'AITRIOS' consists of the platform keyword 'AI' and 'Trio S,' meaning, 'three S's,'" Sony explains. "Through AITRIOS, SSS aims to deliver the three S's of 'Solution,' 'Social Value,' and 'Sustainability' to the world."
While perhaps a little overblown, the three-S pillar behind AITRIOS aligns well with Raspberry Pi's own stated goals surrounding computing education and accessibility. It also provides additional grist for the rumor mill surrounding the Raspberry Pi 5, a still-theoretical successor to the popular Raspberry Pi 4 single-board computer family and its potential to include on-device accelerators specifically targeting machine learning acceleration.
Eben Upton has already suggested the Raspberry Pi ASIC team, which designed the RP2040 pictured, may be adding machine learning acceleration to future devices. (📷: Gareth Halfacree)

Eben Upton has already suggested the Raspberry Pi ASIC team, which designed the RP2040 pictured, may be adding machine learning acceleration to future devices. (📷: Gareth Halfacree)

In 2021, Upton spoke at the tinyML Summit 2021 suggesting that the company's in-house application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) team may be working on compact accelerator cores — which would dovetail nicely with Sony's vision for AITRIOS.
For now, though, there's nothing confirmed about the Raspberry Pi 5 — and neither has Sony nor Raspberry Pi Ltd confirmed the value of Sony's investment, though Sony describes it as a "minority investment."
machine learning
computer vision
camera
single board computer
artificial intelligence

Gareth HalfacreeFollow
Freelance journalist, technical author, hacker, tinkerer, erstwhile sysadmin. For hire: freelance@halfacree.co.uk.
 
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manny100

Top 20
To fullfill the picture, the rise of In Memory Computing will enable On Device processing with conventional CPUs and GPUs. Maybe there is more competition on the horizon than the actual state suggests.
I think in memory computing uses the cloud. Check it out. Also not sure whether it has on chip learning capabilities.
A more tech savvy poster will know.
 
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mkm109

Regular
Building on this ...

Tata, one of the most trusted corporate companies in India, and the 2nd largest, have been working on Neuromorphic computing, and Spiking Neural Networks, for several years.

View attachment 45332

There have been several white papers released by TCS scientists, such as


Some key scientists at TCS even have in built into their work title !

Sounak Dey
Senior Scientist, Neuromorphic Computing and Spiking Neural Network, TCS Research

And this forum has direct evidence of Akida being used in the development of various projects within TCS

Such as the ECG classifier for Wearable edge devices, published 10 months ago.

; View attachment 45333
We must also remember this LinkedIn commentary from 10 months ago

View attachment 45334
View attachment 45335

In response to a post by TCS on Neuromorphic Computing coupled with Spiking Neural Networks, our own Jesse Chapman got involved and made a comment about BrainChip to Arijit Mukherjee, TCS principal scientist.

Arijit's response :

Jesse : " Brainchip very far ahead of all companies working on neuromorphic, be interesting to see the adoption of neuromorphic architecture through their partners"

Arijit : " We have worked very closely and will continue to do so "

This is not dot joining , 10 months ago it was stated by TCS that they had been working very closely with BrainChip .
and recently they have taken this to the next level via the Tata Elxsi partnership.

The second biggest company in India is right behind creating commercial value via neuromorphic compute coupled with spiking neural networks using BrainChip as a partner.

The recent SP drop I see as more than our own "Black Swan" event manufactured by market manipulators.
But on the back of this Tata relationship alone, I have used this SP drop as an unexpected "opportunity" to increase my holding.

Please DYOR and this is not financial advice.
 
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Cardpro

Regular
Uuuuuuummm, read this........

Sony and Infineon collaborating with BRN for San Jose.......
the city....

View attachment 45336



Oh wow.. <3

Thanks for sharing!

This post is actually few months old, Iucky we had no idea... might have bought more (even though I might have got killed by my wife trying to convince her)...
 
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skutza

Regular
Pretty simple really, we'll wait for the end of Oct, then we'll see if anyone is actually using Akida or just talking about it. 4c will tell us all the research needed. But we'll likely hear that royalties take time and wait for the following 4c, or the one after that. Or the following one after that, echo, echo,echo.....
 
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BaconLover

Founding Member
Could anyone name replacements for management after a second strike who could actually do a better job? If you
So you want shareholders of the company to find employees?

Remind me why are we paying the board again?

Literally their job to find the right candidate for the role. Share holders are investors, not an employment consultancy. I'm sure they know this too.
 
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IloveLamp

Top 20
Uuuuuuummm, read this........

Sony and Infineon collaborating with BRN for San Jose.......
the city....

View attachment 45336



screenshot_20230923_232634_linkedin-jpg.45363

Oh wow.. <3

Thanks for sharing!

This post is actually few months old, Iucky we had no idea... might have bought more (even though I might have got killed by my wife trying to convince her)...
Oh wow....old news huh? I hadn't seen it before 🤔.

So let me get this straight, .......it has been a known fact by many here for " a few months " that BRN, SONY AND INFINEON have been collaborating to make San Jose a smarter safer city???

And yet i and others have had to endure an ungodly amount of pissing and moaning on this forum in that same time period about the short term sp and progress of the company????!

🤨😒


wtf3.gif
 
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Labsy

Regular
Pretty simple really, we'll wait for the end of Oct, then we'll see if anyone is actually using Akida or just talking about it. 4c will tell us all the research needed. But we'll likely hear that royalties take time and wait for the following 4c, or the one after that. Or the following one after that, echo, echo,echo.....
Perhaps, or not... let's see.
I keep asking myself, if this was a start-up owned purely by myself and 5 others would I hang on and continue to invest? Despite the low revenue, there is a lot of activity and excitement behind the scenes. Patents are precious. Technology IS superior, unique and cutting edge. Lesser companies are being taken over for billions... I would most definitely soldier on as the future is bright. What would you do at this stage? Cut your loses and move on? Go on then. I'll hold on thanks.
 
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BaconLover

Founding Member
ungodly amount of pissing and moaning on this forum in that same time period about the short term sp and
It's very therapeutic 😂😂😂
 
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IloveLamp

Top 20
Perhaps, or not... let's see.
I keep asking myself, if this was a start-up owned purely by myself and 5 others would I hang on and continue to invest? Despite the low revenue, there is a lot of activity and excitement behind the scenes. Patents are precious. Technology IS superior, unique and cutting edge. Lesser companies are being taken over for billions... I would most definitely soldier on as the future is bright. What would you do at this stage? Cut your loses and move on? Go on then. I'll hold on thanks.
Lol skutza
keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-kuwtk.gif
 
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Cartagena

Regular
Uuuuuuummm, read this........

Sony and Infineon collaborating with BRN for San Jose.......
the city....

View attachment 45336




Fairly recent analysis from 14 September 2023. Wevolver conducted a full demo based on Akida 1.0 and proves it works with a testing accuracy of 100% for traffic object detection use cases. I'm not experienced with the technical coding here however it is clear on this demo the Akida 1.0 has been proven to work :

Conclusion​

This project highlights the impressive abilities of the Akida PCIe board. Boasting low power consumption, it could be used as a highly effective device for real-time object detection in various industries for numerous use cases.

Nice validation from this company for BrainChip. 🙂 Therefore we keenly await the new Akida Gen 2.0 which is an upgraded version with even better capability.


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Real-Time Traffic Monitoring with Neuromorphic Computing​

author avatar

David Tischler
14 Sep, 2023
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Sponsored by
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Real-Time Traffic Monitoring with Neuromorphic Computing


Article #5 of Spotlight on Innovations in Edge Computing and Machine Learning: A computer vision project that monitors vehicle traffic in real-time using video inferencing performed on the Brainchip Akida Development Kit.​

Artificial Intelligence
- Edge Processors
- Embedded Machine Learning
- Neural Network
- Transportation
This article is part of Spotlight on Innovations in Edge Computing and Machine Learning. The series features some unique projects from around the world that leverage edge computing and machine learning, showcasing the ways these technological advancements are driving growth, efficiency, and innovation across various domains.
This series is made possible through the sponsorship of Edge Impulse, a leader in providing the platform for building smarter, connected solutions with edge computing and machine learning.

In the ever-evolving landscape of urban planning and development, the significance of efficient real-time traffic monitoring cannot be overstated. Traditional systems, while functional, often fall short when high-performance data processing is required in a low-power budget. Enter neuromorphic computing—a technology inspired by the neural structure of the brain, aiming to combine efficiency with computational power. This article delves into an interesting computer vision project that monitors vehicle traffic using this paradigm.
Utilizing aerial camera feeds, the project can detect moving vehicles with exceptional precision, making it a game-changer for city planners and governments aiming to optimize urban mobility. The key lies in the advanced neuromorphic processor that serves as the project's backbone. This processor is not just about low power consumption—it also boasts high-speed inference capabilities, making it ideal for real-time video inferencing tasks.
But the journey doesn't end at hardware selection. This article covers the full spectrum of the project, from setting up the optimal development environment and data collection methods to model training and deployment strategies. It offers a deep dive into how neuromorphic computing can be applied in real-world scenarios, shedding light on the processes of data acquisition, labeling, model training, and final deployment. As we navigate through the complexities of urban challenges, such insights pave the way for smarter, more efficient solutions in traffic monitoring and beyond.

Traffic Monitoring using the Brainchip Akida Neuromorphic Processor​

Created By: Naveen Kumar
Public Project Link:
https://studio.edgeimpulse.com/public/222419/latest

Overview​

A highly efficient computer-vision system that can detect moving vehicles with great accuracy and relative motion, all while consuming minimal power.
cover

By capturing moving vehicle images, aerial cameras can provide information about traffic conditions, which is beneficial for governments and planners to manage traffic and enhance urban mobility. Detecting moving vehicles with low-powered devices is still a challenging task. We are going to tackle this problem using a Brainchip Akida neural network accelerator.

Hardware Selection​

In this project, we'll utilize BrainChip’s Akida Development Kit. BrainChip's neuromorphic processor IP uses event-based technology for increased energy efficiency. It allows incremental learning and high-speed inference for various applications, including convolutional neural networks, with exceptional performance and low power consumption.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI2ODUxODgwLTE2OTI2MjY4NTE4ODAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==

The kit consists of an Akida PCie board, a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with Wi-Fi and 8 GB RAM, and a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 I/O Board. The disassembled kit is shown below.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI5MjY1NjkzLXNwYWNlc19FSkI1T2FlWWpNNVZTRkVLTEVGel91cGxvYWRzX2dpdC1ibG9iLTYzMzc3ZDQ2MGUxYzJiMTc0NjViODFkNDQ3ODRkY2MyYzE1OGQ1MTFfaGFyZHdhcmVfdW5hc3NlbWJsZWQuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=
Hardware UnassembledThe Akida PCIe board can be connected to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 IO Board through the PCIe Gen 2 x1 socket available onboard.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI2OTExMjk4LTE2OTI2MjY5MTEyOTgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==
Hardware Closeup

Setting up the Development Environment​

After powering on the Akida development kit, we need to log in using an SSH connection. The kit comes with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Akida PCIe drivers preinstalled. Furthermore, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Wi-Fi is preconfigured in Access Point (AP) mode.
Completing the setup requires the installation of a few Python packages, which requires an internet connection. This internet connection to the Raspberry Pi 4 can be established through wired LAN. In my situation, I used internet sharing on my Macbook with a USB-C to LAN adapter to connect the Raspberry Pi 4 to my Macbook.
To log in and install packages execute the following commands. The password is brainchip for the user ubuntu.
$ ssh ubuntu@<ip-address>
$ pip3 install akida
$ pip3 install opencv-python
$ pip3 install scipy
$ pip3 install Flask

Data Collection​

Capturing video of moving traffic using a drone is not permitted in my area so I used a license-free video from pexels.com (credit: Taryn Elliot). For our demo input images, we extracted every 5th frame from the pexels.com video using the Python script below.
python
import cv2
import sys


We will use Edge Impulse Studio to build and train our demo model. This requires us to create an account and initiate a new project at https://studio.edgeimpulse.com.
To upload the demo input images extracted from the pexels.com video into the demo Edge Impulse project, we will use the Edge Impulse CLI Uploader. Follow the instructions at the link: https://docs.edgeimpulse.com/docs/cli-installation to install the Edge Impulse CLI on your host computer.
Execute the command below to upload the dataset.
$ edge-impulse-uploader --category split images/*.jpg
The command above will upload the demo input images to Edge Impulse Studio and split them into "Training" and "Testing" datasets. Once the upload completes, the demo input datasets are visible on the Data Acquisition page within Edge Impulse Studio.

eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI3OTA3NTI0LTE2OTI2Mjc5MDc1MjQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==

Now we can label the data with bounding boxes in the Labeling queue tab as shown in the GIF below.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI4MDc2MDg5LTE2OTI2MjgwNzYwODkucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==
Labelling

Model training​

Go to the Impulse Design > Create Impulse page, click Add a processing block, and then choose Image. This preprocesses and normalizes image data, and optionally allows you to choose the color depth. Also, on the same page, click Add a learning block, and choose Object Detection (Images) - BrainChip Akida™ which fine-tunes a pre-trained object detection model specialized for the BrainChip AKD1000 PCIe board. This specialized model permits the use of a 224x224 image size, which is the size we are currently utilizing. Now click on the Save Impulse button.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI4MTIxMDY5LTE2OTI2MjgxMjEwNjkucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==

On the Image page, choose RGB as color depth and click on the Save parameters button. The page will be redirected to the Generate Features page.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI4MTMzMzU5LTE2OTI2MjgxMzMzNTkucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==

Now we can start feature generation by clicking on the Generate features button:
generate_features

After feature generation, go to the Object Detection page and click on Choose a different model and select Akida FOMO. Then click on the Start training button. It will take a few minutes to complete the training.
object_detection

The FOMO model uses an architecture similar to a standard image classification model which splits the input image into a grid and runs the equivalent of image classification across all cells in the grid independently in parallel. By default the grid size is 8x8 pixels, which means for a 224x224 image, the output will be 28x28 as shown in the image below.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI5MjAyODc4LXNwYWNlc19FSkI1T2FlWWpNNVZTRkVLTEVGel91cGxvYWRzX2dpdC1ibG9iLTE4MmI2ZjIyMzM2NTQyMDE4OGU5NmIyY2U2YWE0ZDJkNzU0MWNlYjFfZ3JpZC5qcGVnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==

For localization, it cuts off the last layers of the classification model and replaces this layer with a per-region class probability map, and subsequently applies a custom loss function that forces the network to fully preserve the locality in the final layer. This essentially gives us a heat map of vehicle locations. FOMO works on the constraining assumption that all of the bounding boxes are square, have a fixed size, and the objects are spread over the output grid. In the aerial view images, vehicles look similar in size hence FOMO works quite well.

Confusion Matrix​

Once the training is completed we can see the confusion matrices as shown below. By using the post-training quantization, the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are converted to a low-latency and low-power Spiking Neural Network (SNN) for use with the Akida runtime. We can see in the below image, the F1 score of 94% of the Quantized (Akida) model is better than that of the Quantized (int8) model.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI4MjMxNzk3LTE2OTI2MjgyMzE3OTcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==

Model Testing​

On the Model testing page, click on the Classify All button which will initiate model testing with the trained model. The testing accuracy is 100%.
model_testing

Deployment​

We will be using Akida Python SDK to run inferencing, thus we will need to download the Meta TF model (underlined in red color in the image below) from the Edge Impulse Studio's Dashboard. After downloading, copy the ei-object-detection-metatf-model.fbz model file to the Akida development kit using command below.
$ scp ei-object-detection-metatf-model.fbz ubuntu@<ip-address>:/home/ubuntu
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI4MjgzMzkxLTE2OTI2MjgyODMzOTEucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==
Block Output

Application Development​

The application loads the MetaTF model (*fbz) and maps it to the Akida neural processor. The inferencing is done on the images from a video file. We have converted several Edge Impulse C++ SDK functions to Python to preprocess FOMO input.

Run Inferencing​

To run the application, login to the Akida development kit and execute the commands below.
$ git clone https://github.com/metanav/vehicle_detection_brainchip_edge_impulse.git
$ cd vehicle_detection_brainchip_edge_impulse
$ python3 main.py
The inferencing results can be accessed at http://:8080 using a web browser. The application also displays the model summary mapped on the Akida PCIe neural processor on the console.

Notice there is no Softmax layer at the end of the model. That layer has been removed during model conversion to run on the Akida processor. The Softmax operation is performed in the application code, rather than in the model..

Demo​

The video used for the demonstration runs at a framerate of 24 fps, and the inferencing takes approximately 40ms per frame, resulting in real-time inferencing.

Conclusion​

This project highlights the impressive abilities of the Akida PCIe board. Boasting low power consumption, it could be used as a highly effective device for real-time object detection in various industries for numerous use cases.

 
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IloveLamp

Top 20
Check this out. Wevolver conducted a full demo based on Akida 1.0 and proves it works with a testing accuracy of 100% for traffic object detection. I'm not experienced with the technical coding here however it is clear on this demo the Akida 1.0 has been proven to work with Akida 2.0 just an upgraded version with more capability



ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEAUTONOMOUS VEHICLESROBOTICS3D PRINTINGIOTCOMPUTINGAEROSPACEMORE >

Real-Time Traffic Monitoring with Neuromorphic Computing​

author avatar

David Tischler
14 Sep, 2023
FOLLOW
Sponsored by
0.tvawvtpuvhedgelogo.jpg

Real-Time Traffic Monitoring with Neuromorphic Computing


Article #5 of Spotlight on Innovations in Edge Computing and Machine Learning: A computer vision project that monitors vehicle traffic in real-time using video inferencing performed on the Brainchip Akida Development Kit.​

Artificial Intelligence
- Edge Processors
- Embedded Machine Learning
- Neural Network
- Transportation
This article is part of Spotlight on Innovations in Edge Computing and Machine Learning. The series features some unique projects from around the world that leverage edge computing and machine learning, showcasing the ways these technological advancements are driving growth, efficiency, and innovation across various domains.
This series is made possible through the sponsorship of Edge Impulse, a leader in providing the platform for building smarter, connected solutions with edge computing and machine learning.

In the ever-evolving landscape of urban planning and development, the significance of efficient real-time traffic monitoring cannot be overstated. Traditional systems, while functional, often fall short when high-performance data processing is required in a low-power budget. Enter neuromorphic computing—a technology inspired by the neural structure of the brain, aiming to combine efficiency with computational power. This article delves into an interesting computer vision project that monitors vehicle traffic using this paradigm.
Utilizing aerial camera feeds, the project can detect moving vehicles with exceptional precision, making it a game-changer for city planners and governments aiming to optimize urban mobility. The key lies in the advanced neuromorphic processor that serves as the project's backbone. This processor is not just about low power consumption—it also boasts high-speed inference capabilities, making it ideal for real-time video inferencing tasks.
But the journey doesn't end at hardware selection. This article covers the full spectrum of the project, from setting up the optimal development environment and data collection methods to model training and deployment strategies. It offers a deep dive into how neuromorphic computing can be applied in real-world scenarios, shedding light on the processes of data acquisition, labeling, model training, and final deployment. As we navigate through the complexities of urban challenges, such insights pave the way for smarter, more efficient solutions in traffic monitoring and beyond.

Traffic Monitoring using the Brainchip Akida Neuromorphic Processor​

Created By: Naveen Kumar
Public Project Link:
https://studio.edgeimpulse.com/public/222419/latest

Overview​

A highly efficient computer-vision system that can detect moving vehicles with great accuracy and relative motion, all while consuming minimal power.
cover

By capturing moving vehicle images, aerial cameras can provide information about traffic conditions, which is beneficial for governments and planners to manage traffic and enhance urban mobility. Detecting moving vehicles with low-powered devices is still a challenging task. We are going to tackle this problem using a Brainchip Akida neural network accelerator.

Hardware Selection​

In this project, we'll utilize BrainChip’s Akida Development Kit. BrainChip's neuromorphic processor IP uses event-based technology for increased energy efficiency. It allows incremental learning and high-speed inference for various applications, including convolutional neural networks, with exceptional performance and low power consumption.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI2ODUxODgwLTE2OTI2MjY4NTE4ODAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==

The kit consists of an Akida PCie board, a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with Wi-Fi and 8 GB RAM, and a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 I/O Board. The disassembled kit is shown below.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI5MjY1NjkzLXNwYWNlc19FSkI1T2FlWWpNNVZTRkVLTEVGel91cGxvYWRzX2dpdC1ibG9iLTYzMzc3ZDQ2MGUxYzJiMTc0NjViODFkNDQ3ODRkY2MyYzE1OGQ1MTFfaGFyZHdhcmVfdW5hc3NlbWJsZWQuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=
Hardware UnassembledThe Akida PCIe board can be connected to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 IO Board through the PCIe Gen 2 x1 socket available onboard.
eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjkyNjI2OTExMjk4LTE2OTI2MjY5MTEyOTgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==
Hardware Closeup

Setting up the Development Environment​

After powering on the Akida development kit, we need to log in using an SSH connection. The kit comes with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Akida PCIe drivers preinstalled. Furthermore, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Wi-Fi is preconfigured in Access Point (AP) mode.
Completing the setup requires the installation of a few Python packages, which requires an internet connection. This internet connection to the Raspberry Pi 4 can be established through wired LAN. In my situation, I used internet sharing on my Macbook with a USB-C to LAN adapter to connect the Raspberry Pi 4 to my Macbook.
To log in and install packages execute the following commands. The password is brainchip for the user ubuntu.
$ ssh ubuntu@<ip-address>
$ pip3 install akida
$ pip3 install opencv-python
$ pip3 install scipy
$ pip3 install Flask

Data Collection​

Capturing video of moving traffic using a drone is not permitted in my area so I used a license-free video from pexels.com (credit: Taryn Elliot). For our demo input images, we extracted every 5th frame from the pexels.com video using the Python script below.
python
import cv2
import sys


if __name__ == '__main__':
video_path = './traffic-3840x2160-24fps.mp4'
videoCapture = cv2.VideoCapture(video_path)
if not videoCapture.isOpened():
logging.error("Cannot open video file")
sys.exit(-1)
i = 0
j = 0
while True:
ret, frame = videoCapture.read()
if ret:
img = frame[440:440+1280, 1280:1280+1280]
cv2.imshow('Frame', img)
i = i + 1
if i % 5 == 0:
j += 1
cv2.imwrite(f'./data/images/img_{j:04d}.jpg', img)


key = cv2.waitKey(1) & 0xFF
if key == ord('q'):
print('Exited gracefully')
cv2.destroyAllWindows()
break
We will use Edge Impulse Studio to build and train our demo model. This requires us to create an account and initiate a new project at https://studio.edgeimpulse.com.
To upload the demo input images extracted from the pexels.com video into the demo Edge Impulse project, we will use the Edge Impulse CLI Uploader. Follow the instructions at the link: https://docs.edgeimpulse.com/docs/cli-installation to install the Edge Impulse CLI on your host computer.
Execute the command below to upload the dataset.
$ edge-impulse-uploader --category split images/*.jpg
The command above will upload the demo input images to Edge Impulse Studio and split them into "Training" and "Testing" datasets. Once the upload completes, the demo input datasets are visible on the Data Acquisition page within Edge Impulse Studio.

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Now we can label the data with bounding boxes in the Labeling queue tab as shown in the GIF below.
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Labelling

Model training​

Go to the Impulse Design > Create Impulse page, click Add a processing block, and then choose Image. This preprocesses and normalizes image data, and optionally allows you to choose the color depth. Also, on the same page, click Add a learning block, and choose Object Detection (Images) - BrainChip Akida™ which fine-tunes a pre-trained object detection model specialized for the BrainChip AKD1000 PCIe board. This specialized model permits the use of a 224x224 image size, which is the size we are currently utilizing. Now click on the Save Impulse button.
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On the Image page, choose RGB as color depth and click on the Save parameters button. The page will be redirected to the Generate Features page.
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Now we can start feature generation by clicking on the Generate features button:
generate_features

After feature generation, go to the Object Detection page and click on Choose a different model and select Akida FOMO. Then click on the Start training button. It will take a few minutes to complete the training.
object_detection

The FOMO model uses an architecture similar to a standard image classification model which splits the input image into a grid and runs the equivalent of image classification across all cells in the grid independently in parallel. By default the grid size is 8x8 pixels, which means for a 224x224 image, the output will be 28x28 as shown in the image below.
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For localization, it cuts off the last layers of the classification model and replaces this layer with a per-region class probability map, and subsequently applies a custom loss function that forces the network to fully preserve the locality in the final layer. This essentially gives us a heat map of vehicle locations. FOMO works on the constraining assumption that all of the bounding boxes are square, have a fixed size, and the objects are spread over the output grid. In the aerial view images, vehicles look similar in size hence FOMO works quite well.

Confusion Matrix​

Once the training is completed we can see the confusion matrices as shown below. By using the post-training quantization, the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are converted to a low-latency and low-power Spiking Neural Network (SNN) for use with the Akida runtime. We can see in the below image, the F1 score of 94% of the Quantized (Akida) model is better than that of the Quantized (int8) model.
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Model Testing​

On the Model testing page, click on the Classify All button which will initiate model testing with the trained model. The testing accuracy is 100%.
model_testing

Deployment​

We will be using Akida Python SDK to run inferencing, thus we will need to download the Meta TF model (underlined in red color in the image below) from the Edge Impulse Studio's Dashboard. After downloading, copy the ei-object-detection-metatf-model.fbz model file to the Akida development kit using command below.
$ scp ei-object-detection-metatf-model.fbz ubuntu@<ip-address>:/home/ubuntu
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Block Output

Application Development​

The application loads the MetaTF model (*fbz) and maps it to the Akida neural processor. The inferencing is done on the images from a video file. We have converted several Edge Impulse C++ SDK functions to Python to preprocess FOMO input. Below is the main code for inferencing.
import akida
import cv2
import math
import time
import signal
import threading
import numpy as np
from queue import Queue
from scipy.special import softmax
from flask import Flask, render_template, Response


app = Flask(__name__, static_folder='templates/assets')


EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_WIDTH = 224
EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_HEIGHT = 224
EI_CLASSIFIER_LABEL_COUNT = 1
EI_CLASSIFIER_OBJECT_DETECTION_THRESHOLD = 0.95
categories = ['Vehicle']
inference_speed = 0
power_consumption = 0


def ei_cube_check_overlap(c, x, y, width, height, confidence):
is_overlapping = not ((c['x'] + c['width'] < x) or (c['y'] + c['height'] < y) or (c['x'] > x + width) or (c['y'] > y + height))


if not is_overlapping:
return False
if x < c['x']:
c['x'] = x
c['width'] += c['x'] - x
if y < c['y']:
c['y'] = y;
c['height'] += c['y'] - y;
if (x + width) > (c['x'] + c['width']):
c['width'] += (x + width) - (c['x'] + c['width'])
if (y + height) > (c['y'] + c['height']):
c['height'] += (y + height) - (c['y'] + c['height'])
if confidence > c['confidence']:
c['confidence'] = confidence


return True


def ei_handle_cube(cubes, x, y, vf, label, detection_threshold):
if vf < detection_threshold:
return
has_overlapping = False
width = 1
height = 1
for c in cubes:
# not cube for same class? continue
if c['label'] != label:
continue
if ei_cube_check_overlap(c, x, y, width, height, vf):
has_overlapping = True
break


if not has_overlapping:
cube = {}
cube['x'] = x
cube['y'] = y
cube['width'] = 1
cube['height'] = 1
cube['confidence'] = vf
cube['label'] = label
cubes.append(cube)


def fill_result_struct_from_cubes(cubes, out_width_factor):
result = {}
bbs = [];
results = [];
added_boxes_count = 0;


for sc in cubes:
has_overlapping = False;
for c in bbs:
# not cube for same class? continue
if c['label'] != sc['label']:
continue
if ei_cube_check_overlap(c, sc['x'], sc['y'], sc['width'], sc['height'], sc['confidence']):
has_overlapping = True
break


if has_overlapping:
continue


bbs.append(sc)
results.append({
'label' : sc['label'],
'x' : int(sc['x'] * out_width_factor),
'y' : int(sc['y'] * out_width_factor),
'width' : int(sc['width'] * out_width_factor),
'height' : int(sc['height'] * out_width_factor),
'value' : sc['confidence']
})
added_boxes_count += 1

result['bounding_boxes'] = results
result['bounding_boxes_count'] = len(results)
return result


def fill_result_struct_f32_fomo(data, out_width, out_height):
cubes = []
out_width_factor = EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_WIDTH / out_width;
for y in range(out_width):
for x in range(out_height):
for ix in range(1, EI_CLASSIFIER_LABEL_COUNT + 1):
vf = data[y][x][ix];
ei_handle_cube(cubes, x, y, vf, categories[ix - 1], EI_CLASSIFIER_OBJECT_DETECTION_THRESHOLD);


result = fill_result_struct_from_cubes(cubes, out_width_factor)
return result


def capture(video_file, queueIn):
cap = cv2.VideoCapture(video_file)
fps = cap.get(cv2.CAP_PROP_FPS)
num_frames = cap.get(cv2.CAP_PROP_FRAME_COUNT)
resize_dim = (EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_WIDTH, EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_HEIGHT)
if not cap.isOpened():
print("File not opened")
sys.exit(1)


while True:
ret, frame = cap.read()
if ret:
#cropped_img = frame[0:720, 280:280+720]
#resized_img = cv2.resize(frame, resize_dim, interpolation = cv2.INTER_AREA)
resized_img = cv2.resize(frame, resize_dim)
img = cv2.cvtColor(resized_img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2RGB)
input_data = np.expand_dims(img, axis=0)
if not queueIn.full():
queueIn.put((frame, input_data))
else:
return

def inferencing(model_file, queueIn, queueOut):
akida_model = akida.Model(model_file)
devices = akida.devices()
print(f'Available devices: {[dev.desc for dev in devices]}')
device = devices[0]
device.soc.power_measurement_enabled = True
akida_model.map(device)
akida_model.summary()
i_h, i_w, i_c = akida_model.input_shape
o_h, o_w, o_c = akida_model.output_shape
scale_x = int(i_w/o_w)
scale_y = int(i_h/o_h)
scale_out_x = 1280/EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_WIDTH
scale_out_y = 1280/EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_HEIGHT


global inference_speed
global power_consumption


while True:
if queueIn.empty():
#print("queue empty, wait a while")
time.sleep(0.01)
continue
img, input_data = queueIn.get()


start_time = time.perf_counter()
logits = akida_model.predict(input_data)
end_time = time.perf_counter()
inference_speed = (end_time - start_time) * 1000


pred = softmax(logits, axis=-1).squeeze()


floor_power = device.soc.power_meter.floor
power_events = device.soc.power_meter.events()
active_power = 0
for event in power_events:
active_power += event.power


power_consumption = f'{(active_power/len(power_events)) - floor_power : 0.2f}'
#print(akida_model.statistics)


result = fill_result_struct_f32_fomo(pred, int(EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_WIDTH/8), int(EI_CLASSIFIER_INPUT_HEIGHT/8))


for bb in result['bounding_boxes']:
img = cv2.circle(img, (int((bb['x'] + int(bb['width']/2)) * scale_out_x), int((bb['y'] + int(bb['height']/2)) * scale_out_y)), 14, (57, 255, 20), 3)
img = cv2.circle(img, (int((bb['x'] + int(bb['width']/2)) * scale_out_x), int((bb['y'] + int(bb['height']/2)) * scale_out_y)), 8, (255, 165, 0), 3)


img = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_RGB2BGR)


if not queueOut.full():
queueOut.put(img)

def gen_frames():
while True:
if queueOut.empty():
time.sleep(0.01)
continue
img = queueOut.get()
ret, buffer = cv2.imencode('.jpg', img)
yield (b'--frame\r\n'
b'Content-Type: image/jpeg\r\n\r\n' + buffer.tobytes() + b'\r\n')


def get_inference_speed():
while True:
yield f"data:{inference_speed:.2f}\n\n"
time.sleep(0.1)


def get_power_consumption():
while True:
yield "data:" + str(power_consumption) + "\n\n"
time.sleep(0.1)


@app.route('/video_feed')
def video_feed():
#Video streaming route. Put this in the src attribute of an img tag
return Response(gen_frames(), mimetype='multipart/x-mixed-replace; boundary=frame')


@app.route('/model_inference_speed')
def model_inference_speed():
return Response(get_inference_speed(), mimetype= 'text/event-stream')


@app.route('/model_power_consumption')
def model_power_consumption():
return Response(get_power_consumption(), mimetype= 'text/event-stream')


@app.route('/')
def index():
return render_template('index.html')


if __name__ == '__main__':
video_file = './video/aerial_1280_1280.avi'
model_file = './model/ei-object-detection-metatf-model.fbz '


queueIn = Queue(maxsize = 24)
queueOut = Queue(maxsize = 24)


t1 = threading.Thread(target=capture, args=(video_file, queueIn))
t1.start()
t2 = threading.Thread(target=inferencing, args=(model_file, queueIn, queueOut))
t2.start()
app.run(host = '0.0.0.0', port = 8080)
t1.join()
t2.join()

Run Inferencing​

To run the application, login to the Akida development kit and execute the commands below.
$ git clone https://github.com/metanav/vehicle_detection_brainchip_edge_impulse.git
$ cd vehicle_detection_brainchip_edge_impulse
$ python3 main.py
The inferencing results can be accessed at http://:8080 using a web browser. The application also displays the model summary mapped on the Akida PCIe neural processor on the console.

Available devices: ['PCIe/NSoC_v2/0']
Model Summary
_____________________________________________________
Input shape Output shape Sequences Layers NPs
=====================================================
[224, 224, 3] [28, 28, 2] 1 8 21
_____________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________
Layer (type) Output shape Kernel shape NPs


====== HW/conv_0-conv2d_1 (Hardware) - size: 261248 bytes ======


conv_0 (InputConv.) [112, 112, 16] (3, 3, 3, 16) N/A
________________________________________________________________
conv_1 (Conv.) [112, 112, 32] (3, 3, 16, 32) 4
________________________________________________________________
conv_2 (Conv.) [56, 56, 64] (3, 3, 32, 64) 6
________________________________________________________________
conv_3 (Conv.) [56, 56, 64] (3, 3, 64, 64) 3
________________________________________________________________
separable_4 (Sep.Conv.) [28, 28, 128] (3, 3, 64, 1) 3
________________________________________________________________
(1, 1, 64, 128)
________________________________________________________________
separable_5 (Sep.Conv.) [28, 28, 128] (3, 3, 128, 1) 2
________________________________________________________________
(1, 1, 128, 128)
________________________________________________________________
conv2d (Conv.) [28, 28, 32] (1, 1, 128, 32) 2
________________________________________________________________
conv2d_1 (Conv.) [28, 28, 2] (1, 1, 32, 2) 1
________________________________________________________________
Notice there is no Softmax layer at the end of the model. That layer has been removed during model conversion to run on the Akida processor. The Softmax operation is performed in the application code, rather than in the model..

Demo​

The video used for the demonstration runs at a framerate of 24 fps, and the inferencing takes approximately 40ms per frame, resulting in real-time inferencing.

Conclusion​

This project highlights the impressive abilities of the Akida PCIe board. Boasting low power consumption, it could be used as a highly effective device for real-time object detection in various industries for numerous use cases.

Thanks buddy, could you perhaps edit some of that out?? Lol kinda hard to read
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Terroni2105

Founding Member
October 12th, Renesas AI live
'join us at AI Live to Innovations in Edge and End point Deployment'

Sailesh Chittipeddi will be giving a keynote talk How AI is Disrupting the IoT from the Infrastructure to the Edge


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Cartagena

Regular
Thanks buddy, could you perhaps edit some of that out?? Lol kinda hard to read View attachment 45372
Yeah I left the coding there as thought maybe those technical gurus here could make use of it. I've now removed it 🙂
 
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IloveLamp

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Yeah I left the coding there as thought maybe those technical gurus here could make use of it. I've now removed it
❤️ 😆 thanks , yeah cause i was like
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"here we go!"

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JoMo68

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