robotics News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

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) - No Comments

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 […]

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

IBASE EC3100 – A fanless NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX/Nano embedded computer with up to 6x GbE ports (4x with PoE)

IBASE EC3100 is a fanless edge AI computer powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX or Orin Nano module with up to six GbE ports, including four with PoE for cameras, a wide 9V to 36V DC input, and a -20°C to 70°C temperature range for industrial environments. The EC3100 is equipped with a choice of modules from the Jetson Orin Nano 4GB up to the Jetson Orin NX 16GB, delivering a maximum of 157 TOPS of AI performance. The embedded system also features an HDMI 2.1 video output, audio input and output jacks, optional WiFi and/or 4G LTE/5G cellular connectivity, RS232 and CAN Bus DB9 connectors, and several digital inputs and outputs. EC3100 specifications: System-on-Module (one or the other) EC3100-NANO-4 – NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 4GB with 8-core Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU @ 1.5 GHz, 512-core NVIDIA Ampere architecture GPU with 16 Tensor Cores; 34 TOPS max EC3100-NANO-8 – NVIDIA Jetson […]

April 24, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

ESPuno Pi Zero ESP32-C6 board takes up to 60V DC input, offers RS-485 interface (Crowdfunding)

ESPuno Pi Zero is a Raspberry Pi Zero-sized board based on an ESP32-C6-MINI-1 WiFI 6, BLE, and 802.15.4 wireless module and an SMPS that allows up to 60V DC input via a 2-pin terminal block. The board also features two USB-C ports, one connected to the ESP32-C6 and the other to a CH343P USB-to-serial chip, a 40-pin GPIO header, a Grove connector, a 3-pin terminal block for RS-485, DMX, Profibus, and a few buttons and LEDs. ESPuno Pi Zero specifications: ESP32-C6-MINI-1-N4 or ESP32-C6-MINI-1U-N4 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz 320KB ROM, 512KB SRAM, low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz Memory/Storage – 320KB ROM, 512KB SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and 802.15.4 radio (for Thread/Zigbee) Storage – 4MB flash Antenna ESP32-C6-MINI-1-N4 […]

April 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Sony AS-DT1 tiny industrial LiDAR depth sensor can operate under bright conditions (up to 100,000 lux)

Sony AS-DT1 is a tiny and precise LiDAR depth sensor, which the company claims is the world’s smallest at just 31 x 29 x 29mm and the world’s lightest at 50 grams compared to other solutions with a range of 10 meters or more. It is designed for applications such as drones for inspections and surveys, autonomous mobile robots, food service robots, and warehouse automation. The LiDAR module uses Direct Time of Flight (dToF) LiDAR technology with a Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) sensor to deliver fast, accurate three-dimensional distance measurements both indoors and outdoors. According to the company, the sensor can measure a range of up to 40 meters indoors and 20 meters outdoors, even in bright light, with ±0.2-inch (+/-0.5mm) accuracy at 10 meters, and a distance resolution of 0.98 inches (2.5cm). Featuring a rugged yet lightweight aluminum alloy housing, two USB-C ports, and connectors for external power, […]