Aaeon’s “UPX-Edge BrainFrame Dev Kit” is based on the Whiskey Lake powered UP Xtreme SBC and Myriad X AI modules and provides AOTU.AI’s Linux-based BrainFrame smart vision software.

Aaeon and AOTU.AI have launched Aaeon’s second version of its fanless UPX-Edge embedded computer, which itself is based on its community-backed. Whiskey Lake driven UP Xtreme SBC. The UPX-Edge BrainFrame Dev Kit hardware appears to be identical, but the system is preloaded with AOTU.AI ’s Linux-driven BrainFrame software for smart vision applications.

UPX-Edge BrainFrame Dev Kit and BrainFrame screens
(click images to enlarge)

The UPX-Edge BrainFrame Dev Kit is designed for vision-based access control, uniform compliance, manufacturing automation, and video analytics applications. The BrainFrame software “allows any connected camera to become a continuously monitoring Smart Vision system,” says Aaeon.

BrainFrame offers an automatic algorithm fusion and optimization engine combined with “self-contained” VisionCapsules — Aotu.ai’s open source algorithm packaging format. These capsules “have a negligible memory footprint and include all necessary code, files, and metadata to describe and implement a machine learning algorithm,” says Aaeon.

The drag-and¬-drop software lets users “easily pick and combine a variety of capsules to extract sophisticated data from video streams all without the need for any programming,” says AOTU.AI. Several VisionCapsules are preloaded and others are available for download. Developers create their own VisionCapsules with the help of a Python API and share them with others.,

BrainFrame is deployed with server and client packages running on top of Linux. The software integrates with Intel’s OpenVINO toolkit, which was already supported by the UPX-Edge system. The software works with the AI Core M.2 B/M-key module with 2x Myriad X VPUs, which is standard here.

 
UPX-Edge

The UPX-Edge, or UP Xtreme Edge Compute Enabling Kit, system debuted last December starting at $499. The BrainFrame model offers a quad-core, 8x-thread Core i5-8365UE clocked at 1.6GHz/4.1GHz. The system supplies the maximum 16GB DDR4 and is preloaded with Ubuntu 18.04 and Linux kernel 5.0 along with the BrainFrame software

UPX-Edge BrainFrame Dev Kit, front and back
(click image to enlarge)

Standard features carried over from the UP Xtreme SBC include 64GB eMMC, a powered SATA interface, HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPorts, 2x GbE ports, and 4x USB 3.2 Gen2 ports. Unlike the SBC, the UPX Edge expresses the UP Xtreme’s RS232/422/485 headers as 2x DB9 COM ports.

In addition to the M.2 B/M-key slot with AI Core module, you get an mSATA-ready mini-PCIe slot with SIM slot and an M.2 2230 E-key slot. The UPX Edge extends the 40-pin RPi HAT and STM32-related GPIO, which are controlled on the UP Xtreme by an Altera MAX 5 FPGA, as Phoenix connectors on either side of the system. There is also an audio jack and 4x antenna connectors.

The 190 x 130 x 78.6mm UPX Edge has a -20 to 70°C operating range (or 0 to 70°C when using eMMC) and features a thermal block for the M.2 slot. You get a 12-60V DC power supply with a lockable connector, power button, and LED, as well as an RTC.

 
Further information

The UPX-Edge BrainFrame Dev Kit is available now at an undisclosed price. More information may be found in Aaeon’s announcement and product page.