drone News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

September 8, 2025September 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

SiFive introduces 2nd Gen Intelligence RISC-V AI CPUs: X160, X180, X280 Gen 2, X390 Gen 2, and XM Gen 2

SiFive Intelligence X180 Gen 2 Core Complex

SiFive has just launched its 2nd Generation Intelligence family, featuring five new RISC-V-based products: the new X160 Gen 2 and X180 Gen 2, and upgraded X280 Gen 2, X390 Gen 2, and XM Gen 2 processors, all featuring scalar, vector, and matrix processing (XM only) capabilities designed for AI workloads. The original Intelligence X280 64-bit RISC-V CPU was introduced in 2021, following the Intelligence X390 NPU in 2023, and the Intelligence XM Series in September 2024. The X160 Gen 2 (32-bit) and X180 Gen 2 (64-bit) are entry-level AIoT CU cores targeting edge compute and IoT applications for automotive, autonomous robotics, industrial automation, and smart IoT applications. The upgrade models get support for the RVA23 profile and a few other changes. SiFive X160/X180 Gen 2 CPUs Key features and specifications: Scalar processing Intelligence X160 Gen 2 – 32-bit RISC-V ISA (RV32I) Intelligence X180 Gen 2 – 64-bit RISC-V ISA (RV64I) Dual […]

August 27, 2025August 27, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Prophesee Starter Kit GenX320 camera for Raspberry Pi 5 enables low-latency event detection

The Starter Kit GenX320 is a power-efficient, event-based camera designed for the Raspberry Pi 5 that detects events with a latency of less than 150 μs, or the equivalent of about 10,000 FPS. The Prophesee GenX320 sensor offers a 320×320 resolution and a >140 dB dynamic range. The kit connects to the Raspberry Pi 5 like the official camera modules, through the MIPI CSI-2 connector. Starter Kit GenX320 specifications: Sensor – Prophesee GenX320 1/5 inch format event-based vision sensor Resolution – 320×320 array of 6.3μm contrast detection pixels Event Rate – ~10,000 FPS equivalent Latency – <150 μs at 1,000 lux, <1,000 μs at 5 lux Dynamic Range – >140 dB Host interface – MIPI CSI-2 (D-PHY) connector Power Consumption -<50 mW Camera (two variants) M12 mount Focal length – 1.8 Focal ratio (f-stop) – f/2.8 fixed iris FOV – 76° diagonal, 58° horizontal, 58° vertical IR cut filter – […]

July 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

ASRock Industrial unveils DSC-NV003-WT NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit

ASRock DSC-NV003-WT Jetson AGX Orin Developer kit

ASRock Industrial DSC-NV003-WT is an NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit designed for edge AI, robotics, drones, Smart Cities, and advanced industrial applications with a wide operating temperature range (-25 to 50°C) and up to 275 TOPS of AI processing power. The solution is offered with NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin Series (Industrial/64GB/32GB), supports up to four 4-lane MIPI or GMSLII cameras, and 12 PoE ports for computer vision applications. It also includes two PCIe Gen4 x8 slots, one M.2 Key M/B/E expansion slot for storage, 5G/4G LTE cellular, and Wi-Fi connectivity. ASRock Industrial DSC-NV003-WT specifications: System-on-Module (one or the other) NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin Industrial (JAOi) SoC – Ampere GPU + Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU System Memory – 64GB 256-bit LPDDR5 (+ECC) Storage – 64GB eMMC 5.1 flash NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 64GB (JAO 64GB) SoC – Ampere GPU + Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU System Memory – 64GB 256-bit LPDDR5 Storage – […]

July 2, 2025July 2, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

pyDrone – An ESP32-S3 drone running MicroPython firmware

There are already many cheap ESP32 drones on AliExpress, or you can even make an ESP32 DIY drone for about $12, but 01Studio’s pyDrone is a little different as it’s based on an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module and runs MicroPython firmware instead of the ESP32-Drone firmware. The pyDrone can be controlled over WiFi or Bluetooth using the pyController gamepad, also based on the same ESP32-S3 module. Another advantage of the pyDrone is that it comes with a connector for the OV2640 camera module that’s often missing in other low-cost ESP32 drones. pyDrone specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – ESP32-S3N8R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz RAM – 512KB SRAM, up to 8MB PSRAM Storage – 8MB flash Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 Antenna – PCB antenna Motors – 4x 716 hollow cup motors Blades – 46mm propeller blades Flight range WiFi – 120 meters Bluetooth […]

June 27, 2025June 27, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

reComputer Mini is a compact carrier board for the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano/NX module

reComputer Mini Carrier Board for NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano NX

Seeed Studio’s reComputer Mini is a small carrier board for the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano or Jetson Orin NX module that’s barely larger the the system-on-module itself at 88 x 56 x 17mm, or slightly larger than a credit card, and suitable for robotics and drone applications. Despite its small size, the reComputer Mini still offers a good range of interfaces, including two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port with DisplayPort alt-mode, M.2 sockets for NVMe storage and wireless expansion, UART and USB JST connectors, and two 60-pin high-speed connectors for add-on boards. The board is compatible with 48V battery power systems thanks to a wide 12V to 54V DC input range through an XT30 power connector. reComputer Mini carrier board specifications: Compatible SoM – NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano, Jetson Orin NX with up to 100 TOPS of AI performance Storage – M.2 Key-M PCIe socket for M.2 […]

June 26, 2025June 25, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

82 x 50mm SoM combines NXP i.MX 8M Mini SoC with 25 TOPS DEEPX DX-M1 AI accelerator

Virtium Embedded Artists has just announced the launch of the iMX8M Mini DX-M1 system-on-module (SoM) combining an NXP i.MX 8M Mini quad-core Arm application processor with a 25 TOPS DEEPX DX-M1 AI accelerator in a compact 82 x 50mm footprint. The NXP SoC is paired with 2GB 32-bit RAM and 16GB eMMC flash, while the DEEPX NPU gets 4GB 64-bit RAM and a QSPI flash. The module also features a PMIC, a gigabit Ethernet PHY, an optional WiFI 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 module, and exposes all I/Os through a 314-pin MXM edge connector. They’ve somehow managed to pack a lot of features into such a small module. iMX8M Mini DX-M1 SOM specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Mini CPU Quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.6 (industrial) or 1.8 GHz (commercial) Cortex-M4F real-time core @ 400 MHz GPU Vivante GC320 2D GPU Vivante GCNanoUltra 2D/3D GPU with support for OpenVG […]

June 19, 2025June 23, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

AAEON de next-RAP8 credit card-sized Raptor Lake SBC features up to Intel Core i7-1365UE CPU

AAEON de next-RAP8 may be the world’s most powerful credit card-sized SBC since it’s powered by a choice of 15W Intel Raptor Lake processor, namely the hexa-core Core i3-1315UE SoC, or the 10-core Core i5-1335UE or Core i7-1365UE CPU. Designed for drones and robotics, the compact Raptor Lake SBC is equipped with up to 16GB LPDDR5x of RAM, supports SATA and M.2 NVMe SSD, features GbE and 2.5GbE networking ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI and eDP display interfaces, a PCIe Gen3 x4 FPC connector, RS232/RS485 interfaces, and more. de next-RAP8 specifications: 13th Gen Raptor Lake SoC (one or the other) DENEXT-RAP8-A10-0001 model – Intel Core i7-1365UE 10-core/12-thread processor up to 1.70 GHz / 4.90 GHz (Turbo) with 96 EU Intel Iris Xe Graphics @ 1.30 GHz; TDP/PBP: up to 15 Watts DENEXT-RAP8-A10-0002 model – Intel Core i5-1335UE 10-core/12-thread processor up to 1.30 GHz / 4.50 GHz (Turbo) with 80 […]

June 5, 2025June 5, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Map Remote ID-enabled drones with ESP32-C3/S3 and Meshtastic LoRa modules

Colonel Panic’s Mesh Mapper is a project designed to map drones emitting the FAA’s Remote ID over WiFi or Bluetooth with location, altitude, pilot position, and identification data. This project utilizes an ESP32-C3 or ESP32-S3 to capture Remote ID transmissions within range, and then feeds the data into a Python Flask web application part of Mesh Mapper that provides real-time visualization and logging. Meshtastic allows multiple detection nodes to share information across a mesh network, so several ESP32 nodes can be deployed in an area and be alerted when drones fly within your property or neighborhood. While you could use your own ESP32-C3/S3 board and Meshtastic hardware for this project, Colonel Panic designed a breakout board for XIAO ESP32C3 or ESP32S3 WiFi & Bluetooth module and Heltec LoRa 32 V3 connected over serial to make things easier. Something like the XIAO ESP32S3 for Meshtastic & LoRa devkit might also do, […]