This wireless AI camera runs entirely on solar power and costs around $10 – Stick it in sunlight and it can transmit data pretty much indefinitely
Seattle-based startup Xnor is certainly right at the bleeding-edge. This week the company unveiled a prototype AI camera that runs entirely off solar power — no battery or external power source required. The camera has a piddling 320 x 320 resolution, an FGPA chip to handle processing, and is loaded with a state of the art object recognition algorithm.
You could, theoretically, stick a device like this anywhere outdoors and have it transmit data back to you indefinitely. It’s compatible with a few different low-energy wireless communication protocols (because Wi-Fi drains too much battery) which let it send information over tens of kilometers.
Yes, it's not high-end at all but it serves the type of purpose it may be needed more in remote areas where there is no power. There are already wireless AI networks that cover hundreds of square kilometres using this low-end wireless transmission.
See https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/2/15/18225972/tiny-solar-powered-ai-camera-xnor
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This wireless AI camera runs entirely on solar power Stick it in sunlight and it can transmit data pretty much indefinitely |