Dresden, Germany, November 17, 2022 – The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) aims to support safer and faster data processing by integrating machine learning algorithms into digital devices.
Although AI-enabled devices are tightly integrated with daily life, processing of data inputs takes place on large external servers. Included Artificial intelligence Edge AI is set to change this by allowing these processing tasks to be done directly on the device. However, AI performance, especially on very small devices, has so far been limited.
Fraunhofer IPMS integrates artificial intelligence into microsensors and actuators. Courtesy of Fraunhofer IPMS.
The researchers at Fraunhofer IPMS are working to remedy this through networking experiences and developments from disparate areas of research. For example, in an internal institute project, findings from microsensor and actuator technology were combined with the latest in nanoelectronics, wireless communications, and processor developments.
The combination enables pre-processing of signals associated with a sensor or actuator using AI-based methods, providing advantages in lower latency processing and more secure data processing while avoiding the need for network connectivity. In addition, the use of AI edge data processing will enable local re-learning in the field, so that the system can be optimized for specific on-site conditions.
Fraunhofer IPMS’s Li-Fi GigaDock enables optical data transmission of large amounts of data at low latency. Courtesy of Fraunhofer IPMS.
Applications of this technology include spectrometers, ISFET (Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistor) sensors, ultrasound imaging for state monitoring, gesture control, or environment recognition for collaborative robots.
To support the integration of edge AI technology across sensor and actuator technologies, the researchers extended the existing EMSA5 RISC-V computing platform, with Tensorflow Lite-based AI functionality. Fraunhofer showed the setup at the Electronica trade fair in Munich on November 15-18. The researchers also presented some of the institute’s latest developments in the field of core technology for intellectual property and optical wireless data transmission in electronica.
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