Inuitive, a developer of cutting edge 3D computer vision and image processing devices, today announced a reference design dedicated for Google's Project Tango. The reference design is a compact sized module, harnessing Inuitive's NU3000 to serve as the processing engine for 3D sensing and smart sensor hub in Project Tango.
NU3000 is a multi-core processor, capable of extracting real time depth from stereo, as well as process the depth images (together with other sensors) to fuse a real time localization and mapping solution. The reference design module contains two cameras arranged in a stereoscopic setting, a fish-eye camera for 2D wide-angle imaging and an inertial motion unit. Thus, Inuitive offers a complete solution that covers both real time depth sensing and smart sensor hub functionalities – to calculate localization and mapping information.
Google recently released a Project Tango Tablet Development Kit, in the form of a seven-inch tablet. This platform is mostly aimed at developers, to allow developing applications for Tango systems.
"We are excited to be part of the Project Tango ecosystem. Our unique technology and architecture serve the Project Tango concept is many aspects: starting from real time depth generation, going all the way to efficiently executing mapping, localization, navigation and demanding signal processing algorithms." said Shlomo Gadot, CEO and Co-Founder of Inuitive. "This collaboration with Google allows Inuitive to pursue the mobile market from a unique position, as Tango enabling technology providers. We will help realize Tango concept into a consumer market technology".
NU3000 is a multi-core processor, optimized for depth sensing, 3D image processing and computer vision in mobile environments. It can interface and manage 3 cameras: 2 as a stereo depth source, and 1 as an RGB sensor. Moreover, it can process all 3 video streams in real time, to generate a high quality depth image from the stereo, assign color to the depth images, and execute high-level processing on all available video streams. NU3000 architecture is combining dedicated hardware accelerators with vector DSPs to allow a power efficient execution of depth sensing as well as higher-level algorithms and applications. NU3000 can manage, synchronize, time stamp various sensors. Moreover, it can execute real-time Simultaneous Localization and Mapping algorithms. Accordingly, In a Project Tango environment, NU3000 can serves as the core depth generating engine, together with a smart sensor hub and serve as the primary processor of the mapping and localization algorithms.
