Inuitive – a fabless semiconductor company that develops advanced vision processors for Edge devices – is supplying its NU4000 to Japanese multi-national corporation, Alps Alpine, for integration into its obstacle detection unit, which is being used by Fukushin Electrics in its next-generation electric cart.
Based on a unique architecture, the NU4000 is a 3D Vision and AI processor designed for use in smart devices that need to see and understand the world around them. Applications include Augmented and Virtual Reality, Robotics, Drones and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT).
Fukushin Electrics’ POLCAR is the first and most advanced step into smart mobility systems, offering a safer and more secure electric cart experience. Built into the obstacle detection unit of the POLCAR, Inuitive’s NU4000 detects potential obstacles such as people, objects, gutters, etc. in advance. The cart then issues a sound and light alert to the driver, while automatically decelerating and stopping to prevent collision.
“Inuitive’s NU4000 combines 3D and AI, enabling Alps Alpine’s obstacle detection system to filter out irrelevant information while fulfilling its primary mission – preventing collisions,” says Kenichi Kitatani, Power and Mobility Project Manager at Alps Alpine. “Until now the sole option was to separately use a 3D-only system that requires heavy processing to generate relevant information, or an AI-only system that detects many classes of objects. While high sensitivity results good in detection, it can also cause overload with hazards that are better ignored. The NU4000 offers the best of both worlds, in one compact unit.”
“Having successfully completed a series of rigorous tests and checks to ensure compliance with the most stringent standards and regulatory requirements, our selection by Alps Alpine for this project is a strong validation of our technology,” says Shlomo Gadot, founder and CEO of Inuitive. “We look forward to this being a catalyst for many more collaborations with integrators in Northeast Asia and beyond.”
“The development of smarter user experiences depends on high-quality depth sensing, on-chip SLAM, computer vision and deep learning capabilities,” says Rich Wawrzyniak Principal Market Analyst, ASIC & SoC at Semico Research Corp. “This is what makes the work that Inuitive is doing so exciting; they are facilitating the ongoing development of smart products. Embedded vision and AI are going to be pervasive functions in our society, and Inuitive is well positioned to aid companies wanting to add these capabilities to their products going forward.”
