IEI’s Linux-ready “IDS-310AI” mini-PC for AI-enabled digital signage combines an Apollo Lake SoC with dual Myriad X VPUs and offers a 128GB SATADOM, 3x HDMI, 3x USB, 2x GbE, COM, and M.2.

Last week we reported on Nexcom’s compact NISE 52 IoT gateway, which features 3x HDMI ports with 3x GbE ports. Now, as announced by its European distributor, ICP Germany, IEI has produced a similarly Intel Apollo Lake based embedded PC with 3x HDMI and 2x GbE ports. At 137 x 102.8 x 49.2mm, the IDS-310AI is a bit smaller than the NISE 52 and it adds dual Intel Movidius Myriad X MA2485 VPUs with Intel OpenVINO support.

IDS-310AI, front and back
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Whereas the NISE 52’s triple HDMI ports are designed for industrial HMI, the IDS-310AI is aimed at digital signage. ICP does not mention specific applications that tap the AI capabilities of the Myriad-X VPUs. However, the IEI datasheet shows the image below, which suggests the system is hooked up to a camera that spies on shoppers, trying to figure out their gender, age, and shopping time. (We wonder if the shoppers know they are being analyzed and mined, and if they receive any financial benefit from their recorded behavior.) Surveillance and traffic management are also listed as potential applications.


Image depicting an IDS-310AI based retail signage application
(click image to enlarge)

The Myriad X VPUs are deployed via IEI’s Mustang-MPCIE-MX2mini-PCIe module, which was also integrated on the company’s even smaller, Apollo Lake based ITG-100AI DIN-rail computer and larger, Coffee Lake driven FLEX AIoT Dev. Kit. The Myriad X provides “excellent inference performance per watt, 16 SHAVES cores for AI calculations and native FP16 support,” says the ICP announcement. Other signage systems that incorporate the Myriad X include Axiomtek’s Whiskey Lake based DSP501-527.

The IDS-310AI runs Linux or Win 10 on a quad-core, 1.5GHz/2.3GHz Celeron J3455 with 10W TDP. The system is pre-installed with 8GB DDR3L and provides a microSD slot. A 128GB SATADOM is available for storing user data and loading the OS. The system’s OpenVINO implementation supports training models for AlexNet, GoogleNet, Tiny Yolo, Squeezenet, and resNet, among others.

IDS-310AI side view (left) and detail views
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The 3x HDMI 1.4 ports can drive 3840 x 2160 @ 30Hz displays and are accompanied by dual audio jacks. Other features include 2x RTL8111H-powered Gigabit Ethernet ports, 3x USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, and an RS-232/422/485 port with AFC functionality. An M.2 A-key 2230 slot supports PCIe x1 and USB 2.0 signals and is available with an optional 802.11ac/BT module and external antenna.

A 12VDC jack is accompanied by a 36W adapter, AT/ATX switch, and power and reset buttons. The system runs at 12V @ 2.6A for a maximum of 31.2W. Other features include a wall-mount kit, 2x LEDs, and TPM 2.0.

The fanless, 1.7 kg IDS-310AI supports -20 to 45°C temperatures with 10% ~ 95%, non-condensing humidity tolerance. The system offers 5G, IEC68-2-27 compliant shock resistance along with vibration resistance compliant with MIL-STD-810G 514.6C-1.

 
Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the IDS-310AI. More information may be found in ICP Germany’s announcement and the IEI and ICP Germany product pages.