UDOO needs no introduction. It is a well known company developing x86 based board and the popular Udoo Neo low-cost ARM based SBC which was powered by NXP® i.MX 6SoloX processor.
They have now release another board UDOO Key for edge Computing and this time it is microcontroller platform using Raspberry Pi’s RP2040 and ESP32 Dual Core. Kickstarter Campaign is going on and has already got 150K USD funding while I am writing.
When they say their platform enables AI on the edge, they are not only talking about hardware but AI platform which helps develop applications with significantly less effort and time.
What does UDOO Key hardware offers?
It has the following features which makes it a unique hardware in itself, starting with a unique shape 😉
- Raspberry Pi RP2040
- Dual ARM Cortex-M0 upto 133Mhz
- QSPI 8MB Flash
- 264KB RAM
- ESP32-WROVER-E
- Dual-core Xtensa 32-bit LX6 upto 240Mhz
- 16MB Flash
- 8MB PSRAM
- Serial bridge between ESP32 and RP2040
- SWD is accessible via USB to UART to both Microcontrollers
- WiFi & Bluetooth
- 9-Axis IMU Motion Sensor
- Internal Temperature sensor on RP2040
- Omni Directional Digital Microphone
- USB-C for power/programming/debugging
- Onboard battery charger is available
- UEXT connector(I2C, SPI, UART) – ESP32
- 26 GPIOs, 8x PIO with I2C, UART, PWM and SPI interfaces – RP2040
- External Camera could be connection for computer vision applications
- 3x LEDs
- 3x Buttons
- Size: 130mm x 40mm
Udoo Key opens a lot of applications where it can be used for prototyping and even in early pilots.
UDOO Key Pinout
Software Development
Both microcontrollers can be programmed using different environments, such as TinyML, TensorFlow Lite, MicroPython, C/C++, and many more, giving you plenty of options to streamline your AI application.
UDOO Key remains Open source and even their AI platform is built on open source projects Astarte and Edgehog.
Astarte allows the developers to manage and process IoT data: from collection to processing up to data orchestration. It features a full-fledged SDK for ESP32 based on the Espressif IoT Development Framework (ESP-IDF), so you can be starting building in a matter of minutes and with just a few lines of code.
Edgehog enables fleet device management and OTA updates, enhancing ESP32’s firmware with a full-fledged device lifecycle solution.
Limitless Possibilities
It can be used to develop various applications like:
- Sound detection, voice recognition
- With external Camera: object detection, classification, face recognition
- Factory floor monitoring
- Machine Monitoring, etc
Availability and Cost
Kickstarter campaign is going on and $4 per unit early bird offer is already gone, but you can get $9 UDOO KEY which has microphone and accelerometer.
Shiping cost varies from 6$ to 15$, for India it is 15$.
As per their announcement the deliveries are scheduled to start in January 2022. Let us hope everything goes well and they manage through the chip shortage.
I have already ordered 2 sets of UDOO Key as one is never enough 🙂