» Mobile, autonomous information processing requires a paradigm shift through neuromorphic and analog computing to remain scalable. «
As mobile robot systems become more autonomous, the number of sensors increases, the effort required to link their data increases, and with it the need for computing power to realize reliable and safe real-time operation. Architecture scalability, sufficient transmission bandwidth between sensor and data processing, and minimization of power requirements are the main challenges for the development of high-performance computers to be used in mobile systems. It is predicted that in less than 10 years, the required computing capacity in the sensor periphery will have to match that of a supercomputer today. This requirement can only be met by a combination of hardware and software components specifically developed for each other.
Revolutionizing Human-Robot Collaboration
NeurOSmart is a Fraunhofer flagship project that aims to revolutionize the way humans and robots collaborate. We achieve this by integrating neuromorphic computing and AI directly into the sensor node, making the sensor more responsive, energy efficient, and easier to integrate. Our goal is to create a seamless human-robot collaboration experience that is intuitive and safe.
Reconfigurable sequential flash LiDAR
AI-driven preprocessing pipeline
Dedicated mixed-signal IMC accelerator
Safe and efficient human-robot-collaboration
Our Approach
The NeurOSmart approach focuses on the direct integration of data processing intelligence into the sensor system. This reduces a significant portion of the computational load on the part of the data processing system in an environmentally and resource-friendly manner, so that the computational hardware in the sensor system can be adapted to its requirements directly during sensor development in the codesign.
As a pioneer of integration in a competitive sensor system, NeurOSmart uses an open LiDAR system developed by Fraunhofer as a basis to provide direct access to the incoming data streams. In addition, a highly scalable, neuromorphic accelerator chip is coupled with a sophisticated, AI-powered pre-processing pipeline to interpret the data directly at the sensor.
We Take Pride in Our Numbers
12544
TOF sensor pixels
90°
field of view
20
frames per second
>99%
detection precision
<100W
system energy consumption
NeurOSmart
A Fraunhofer lighthouse project
Fraunhofer is tackling the current challenges facing industry head on. Its lighthouse projects put the focus on strategic objectives with a view to developing practical solutions from which economies such as Germany’s can benefit. The topics these projects address are geared towards economic requirements. By pooling their expertise and involving industrial partners at an early stage, the Fraunhofer Institutes involved in the projects aim to turn original scientific ideas into marketable products as quickly as possible.
