Aaeon’s rugged, low-height “Boxer-8170AI” AI edge computer runs Linux on a Jetson TX2 and supplies 4x USB 3.0 and 4x PoE-enabled LAN ports for powering cameras. You also get 2x HDMI, 2x serial, GbE, and optional SATA and CANBus.

Aaeon has launched a fanless Boxer-8170AI computer for $1,200. The latest in a line of Boxer-branded, Nvidia Jetson TX2 based compact embedded computers is focused on Power-over-Ethernet for AI edge camera control.

Aaeon continues to make Boxer systems based on other processors, such as this year’s Intel Apollo Lake based Boxer-6405U, but most of the recent models have sprung from Nvidia’s Arm-based, hexa-core TX2. These include the 8x USB 3.0 equipped Boxer-8150AI, 6x MIPI-CSI2 enabled Boxer-8130AI, and the low-end, ultra-compact Boxer-8110AI. The 180 x 136 x 48mm Boxer-8170AI is a more feature-rich, PoE-enabled cousin to the smaller, quad-GbE Boxer-8120AI.

Boxer-8170AI, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

With its 4x USB 3.0 ports and 4x 802.3af-compliant Ethernet ports, the system can control cameras and integrate inputs with AI algorithms running on the Jetson TX2’s 256-core Pascal GPU. The announcement touts the system for “smart retail, virtual fences, and access control” applications. The datasheet instead mentions in-vehicle applications, which are supported with a compact, rugged design and a wide-range, 12-24V DC terminal block input.

In addition to supplying the Pascal GPU with its support for AI frameworks such as TensorFlow and Caffe, the Jetson TX2 module provides six high-end “Denver” and Cortex-A57 cores, 8GB LPDDR4 and 32GB eMMC 5.1. Although the Boxer-8170AI is equipped with dual SMA antenna holes, there is no mention of the Jetson TX2’s optional WiFi/BT, so these are likely intended for WiFi dongles connected via USB 3.0.

Boxer-8170AI detail views
(click images to enlarge)

The four PoE ports offer a combined 60W output. Each has its own PoE chip, thereby enabling “higher bandwidth and stability for each port, allowing PoE cameras to operate individually on dedicated connections,” says Aaeon.

The Boxer-8170AI is further equipped with a microSD slot, as well as 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x RS-232/422/485, micro-USB OTG, and a standard GbE port. It’s unclear if the optional SATA, USB 2.0, or dual-channel CANBus can all be added to a single system.

The wallmount-enabled, 2.15 kg system supports -20 to 50°C temperatures with 0.5 m/s airflow per IEC68-2-14 and resists vibration at 3 Grms/5~500Hz. The system runs Aaeon ACLinux 4.4, which is based on Ubuntu 16.04.

 
Further information

The Boxer-8170AI is available now for $1,200. More information may be found in Aaeon’s Boxer-8170AI announcement, product page, and shopping page.