One VM runs a vision-based artificial intelligence application using Intel OpenVino software for situational awareness, a second VM operates in real time running deterministic control software, and a third VM operates an IIoT/Industry 4.0 gateway. The congatec kit, designed in cooperation with Intel and Real-Time Systems, is aimed at the next generation of vision-based collaborative robotics, automation controls, and autonomous vehicles that need to handle multiple tasks in parallel, including situational awareness using deep learning-based artificial intelligence algorithms.
Virtual machines based on real-time systems allow for the consolidation of different tasks onto a single computing platform, ultimately saving costs. Intel OpenVino software provides the necessary artificial intelligence for situational awareness. OEMs simply need to load their control into the third real-time VM and are ready to enrich their real-time control with data from the situational awareness VM and communicate in real time with their IIoT/Industry 4.0 counterparts to enable touch-based Internet controls.
"The demand for workload consolidation is rapidly increasing in vision-based situational awareness applications: machine controls, collaborative robotics, and autonomous vehicles all need virtualization, as original equipment manufacturers do not want to assign different control, vision, and networking tasks to multiple dedicated systems," explains Martin Danzer, Director of Product Management at congatec.
Workload Consolidation Kit
" RFP for vision-based situational awareness applications includes a platform based on the COM Express Type 6 module with an Intel Xeon E2 processor, a Basler vision camera, a pendulum controlled by a demo controller, and an Intel Arria 10 FPGA board from REFLEX CES. The platform has three pre-installed virtual machines ready for application, based on Real-Time Systems hypervisor technology. One VM analyzes video using Intel OpenVino software, the second runs Linux in real time to control the balance of an inverted pendulum in real time, and the third partition hosts a gateway for IIoT/Industry 4.0 connectivity.
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