robotics News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 6, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Jetway PIC-ASL1 – A low-power Intel Atom x7213RE/x7433RE fanless industrial Pico-ITX SBC

Jetway PIC-ASL1 is a low-power, fanless Pico-ITX SBC built around the Intel Atom x7213RE or x7433RE Amston Lake SoC for industrial use. This SBC is very similar to the Alder Lake-N-based JPIC-ADN1, which Jetway released just last year. While both boards support up to 32GB DDR5 memory and dual displays via HDMI 2.0b and LVDS/eDP, the PIC-ASL1 adds industrial-grade resilience with shock/vibration resistance, a Nano SIM slot for cellular connectivity, and an Intel PTT for security. It also features a similar I/O layout, including dual USB 3.2 Gen 2, four USB 2.0, serial headers, two M.2 expansion slots, and a SATA III port for storage. Additionally, the PIC-ASL1 complies with various industrial standards, making it more suitable for use in harsh industrial environments compared to the ADN1. Jetway PIC-ASL1 specifications: Amston Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Atom x7213RE dual-core processor @ 2.0 to 3.4 GHz with 6MB cache, […]

June 2, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

u-blox ZED-F20P triple-band GNSS module provides 25Hz RTK/PPP-RTK with centimeter accuracy for drones and robots

The u-blox ZED-F20P is a high-precision, triple-band GNSS module designed for fast-scaling applications, such as drones, ground robots, and other dynamic platforms. It supports L1/L2/L5 bands and delivers centimeter-level accuracy using RTK and PPP-RTK correction methods. Designed for low power consumption and fast convergence, the ZED-F20P operates at 25 Hz and integrates various security features, making it suitable for lightweight and mobile platforms. It is fully compatible with the existing ZED module footprint and UBX protocol, allowing easy integration and upgrade paths within the ZED portfolio. The module works with the ANN-MB2 all-band antenna and supports u-blox’s PointPerfect Flex and Live correction services, offering rapid, base station–free accuracy in challenging environments. These features make this suitable for applications like robotic lawnmowers and autonomous aerial systems. u-blox ZED-F20P specifications: Storage – Internal Flash for firmware GNSS receiver u-blox F20 engine (672-channel) GPS – L1C/A, L2C, L5 QZSS – L1C/A, L1C/B*, L2C, […]

May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Atum A3 Nano development board combines Agilex 3 FPGA and USB-Blaster III programmer (Crowdfunding)

Terasic’s Atum A3 Nano is a compact FPGA development board built around Altera’s largest Agilex 3 FPGA (A3CZ135BB18AE7S). The FPGA features 135K logic elements, embedded memory blocks (6.89 Mbit M20K, 1.4 Mbit MLAB), and 368 multipliers, making it suitable for demanding applications such as robotics, automotive systems, smart city infrastructure, consumer electronics, and advanced image processing. Measuring just 85 x 70 mm, the Atum A3 Nano board includes 64 MB SDRAM, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI output, a microSD card slot, and an onboard USB-Blaster III programmer accessible via a USB Type-C port. Expansion options include a 40-pin GPIO header and two PMOD headers, and the board also features user I/Os like LEDs, buttons, and switches. Additionally, it supports add-ons such as displays, cameras, wireless modules, and motor control kits. Atum A3 Nano specifications: FPGA – Altera Agilex 3 A3CZ135BB18AE7S 135,110 logic elements 6.89 Mbit M20K, 1.4 Mbit MLAB 368 18×19 multipliers 4 I/O […]

May 19, 2025May 19, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Boardcon LGA3576 – A Rockchip RK3576 LGA system-on-module with UFS storage and LPDDR5 memory

Boardcon has just introduced the LGA3576 system-on-module with a 330-pad LGA design powered by Rockchip RK3576 AI SoC and the Idea3576 single board computer (SBC) based on the module. The 6TOPS AI-capable system-on-module ships with up to 8GB LPDDR5, integrates 32GB to 512GB UFS storage, while an RK806S-5 PMIC takes care of power management, and all I/Os such as HDMI, PCIe, Ethernet, and GPIO signals are exposed through LGA pads. Boardcon LGA3576 – A Rockchip RK3576 LGA system-on-module Specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3576 CPU Octa-core CPU with 4x Cortex-A72 cores at 2.2GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8GHz Single-core Cortex-M0 real-time core GPU – Arm Mali-G52 MC3 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, and 3.2, OpenCL up to 2.0, and Vulkan 1.1 NPU – 6 TOPS (INT8) AI accelerator with support for INT4/INT8/INT16/BF16/TF32 mixed operations. VPU Video Decoder H.265, VP9, AV1, and AVS2 up to 8Kp30 or 4Kp120 H.264/AVC up […]

May 8, 2025May 8, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Intel Atom x7000RE fanless industrial box PC offers 10-year life cycle for factory automation

AAEON BOXER-6617-ASL is a rugged and compact fanless industrial box PC built around the Intel Atom x7000RE series of SoCs. It is designed for harsh industrial environments and has a wide operating temperature range (-20°C to 70°C) and a guaranteed 10-year product lifecycle making it a reliable long-term solution for factory automation and other embedded applications. The rugged embedded system supports up to 32GB DDR5 memory, dual HDMI, dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, and extensive I/O including six serial ports, USB 3.2 and 2.0, DIO, and audio. Storage options include M.2 NVMe and 2.5″ SATA, with additional expansion through M.2 E-Key (Wi-Fi) and B-Key (5G/LTE) sockets. It also has a wide 9V–36V power input range, circuit protection, and strong shock/vibration resistance. The computer also features six RS-232/422/485 serial ports and DIO via DB9 connectors AAEON BOXER-6617-ASL Specifications: Amston Lake Series SoC options (one or the other) Intel Atom x7835RE octa-core processor […]

May 2, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

SO-ARM101 open-source dual robotic arm kit works with Hugging Face’s LeRobot

SO-ARM101 robotic arm with hugging face support

SO-ARM101 “Arm Servo Motor Kit” is an open-source dual robotic arm kit that works with Hugging Face’s LeRobot robotics framework and is designed to interface with NVIDIA Jetson AI modules and computers. It is an update to the SO-ARM100 DIY open-source robotic arm kit introduced last year with LeRobot framework support. The new SO-ARM101 is still comprised of leader and follower arms but features improved wiring to prevent disconnection issues previously seen at joint 3, motors with optimized gear ratios, and a few functionality where the leader arm can now follow the follower arm in real-time, which will be used for reinforcement learning (RL) where a human can intervene and correct the robot’s actions. SO-ARM101 specifications: Degrees of Freedom (DOF) – 6 per Arm Motor control Total servo – 12x STS3215 bus servos (6x for each Arm) Leader Arm 1x (7.4V) 1:345 gear ratio motor for No.2 joints 2x (7.4V) […]

May 1, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Canonical releases Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop image for the Qualcomm DragonWing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors

Canonical has just released a publicly available Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop beta image for the Qualcomm DragonWing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors, and more specifically for the Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2 Vision Kit (QCS6490) and Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2 Lite Vision Kit (QCS5430). This adds to the existing Ubuntu 24.04 Server image for the Qualcomm vision kits, and Canonical says the unified image is currently designed for developers, ODMs/OEMs, and customers who want to evaluate the solution, and certified versions of Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop and Server images are coming soon with long term support and maintenance. Canonical explains the image enables the full Ubuntu Desktop experience at the edge with “powerful AI acceleration with high-performance graphics” (so I assume that means GPU and NPU are already supported), enhanced camera and multimedia capabilities, sensor integration, and various performance optimizations of the DragonWing family. So the way I read the announcement is that contrary […]

April 28, 2025April 28, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Zalmotek RA6M1, RA8M1, and RZ/A3U SoMs follow Adafruit Feather form factor, support carrier board for robotics and industrial control

Romanian company Zalmotek has recently introduced three new SoMs, the RA6M1, RA8M1, and RZ/A3UL, and a modular carrier board designed for embedded applications such as robotics, industrial control, and edge computing. There are a few things that I find interesting about this setup. The SoM comes in Adafruit Feather form factor and, as a result, supports various Adafruit FeatherWings. The modular carrier board supports the Dynamixel motor driver module, the Particle M-SoM breakout module, Ethernet, and CAN modules. The RA6M1 Feather SoM is powered by a Renesas RA6M1 Arm Cortex-M4 CPU at up to 120 MHz, with 512 KB flash and 96 KB SRAM while the RA8M1 Feather SoM features a Renesas RA8M1 64-bit Arm Cortex-M85 running at up to 360 MHz with 128 Mbit SPI flash, the RZ/A3UL Feather SoM is based on a Renesas RZ/A3UL 64-bit Arm Cortex-A55 CPU at up to 1 GHz, with 512 Mbit OctaFlash […]