With the rapid rise of the AIoT industry globally, many tech companies have worked together in order to combine advanced hardware technology and innovative software applications to shape the smart life in the future. Recently, the IoT Service Hub and Winstec Corp. jointly launched an EVB called "HUB 8735", injecting tremendous innovative energy into Taiwan's AIoT industry.
Since its establishment in 2005, Winstec Corp. has been committed to the development and integration of embedded real-time systems and wireless smart solutions. In the past, it has designed and manufactured many devices and accumulated rich experience as well as a powerful tool library. As we take a look at the past development cases of Winstec, the many cases vary from car navigation, medical imaging, and smart access control intercom system to driving recorder, smart nursing brush, and Bluetooth intercom headset. Although these products seem to be extremely different, they are in fact well-aligned with a clear technical context as the Winstec team specializes in the design of embedded systems, image processing, network technology, electrical control systems, and wireless smart solutions. Based on these foundations, R&D into innovative applications and new technology were then conducted according to the actual needs of different projects.
Among the projects executed by Winstec, about 70% are based on customer designs or ODM requirements, and the other 30% are based on independent R&D of innovative solutions. For the company, the goal is to quickly provide innovative integrated applications to customers and launch them to the market. Winstec's project development experiences in AI imaging, such as object recognition, thermal imaging lens, and AI face recognition machine, happen to coincide with the EVB needs which the IoT Service Hub wishes to develop. Thus, a device equipped with image recognition function and AI computing capability—the "HUB 8735" EVB—was materialized with the input of joint efforts.
This EVB integrates the most advanced NPU AI computing engine, allowing HUB 8735 to efficiently process AI models. At the same time, HUB 8735 is also compatible with Arduino development features, and has a variety of pre-trained AI models that are already optimized on the module. Such features are expected to greatly simplify the work of developers and allow them to deploy AI applications more efficiently. As for the software and hardware design of the EVB, there is external development instructions synced with the ESP32-CAM module to allow seamless integration during development. It can be used by simply replacing the module. With all the other popular modules on the market, the planning and designing of "MIT" EVBs will require substantial efforts and careful layout.
Among many AIoT products, the efficient image processing capability of HUB 8735 and its multi-functional communication methods allow it to play a key role in various scenarios, from smart homes to industrial IoT, from smart retail to healthcare and automotive electronics, covering many aspects of everyday life.
The next step for HUB 8735 will be its expansion and commercial operation. Winstec Corp. CEO Charles said, "In terms of hardware expansion, we will launch different IO expansion boards according to the demand feedback from the market to directly increase various IoT sensor functions and strengthen the supporting integrity of HUB 8735; also, we will complete international safety certification as required by market demands; as for software expansion, in addition to the ongoing software upgrade and maintenance, we will also cooperate with AI model seeds to implement new AI applications."
How to launch HUB 8735 into the commercial market is another important issue. In addition to promoting it to the Maker communities, it must also be promoted to the industry to be used in larger-scale applications. To this end, Winstec provides strong tech support and engages in vertical integration as the expert group force behind HUB 8735, thereby offering efficient customized solutions and importing mass production services. Coupled with the product counseling mechanism of the IoT Service Hub, the company also actively increases the applications of HUB 8735 in various fields, such as access control identification, national-level bird repellent identification, traditional Chinese medicinal material identification, etc. In the future, it will continue to launch more applications and product implementations.
In order to promote the use of domestic ICs on various innovative products, the IoT Service Hub has been promoting domestic EVBs and working with domestic IC manufacturers for a long time. For original IC manufacturers, the IoT Service Hub can forward design problems or application requirements from the innovation market, and at the same time promote the update and optimization of IC original products. For AIoT product developers, the IoT Service Hub has established a channel for communication with the original manufacturers to share IC application tech assets, including datasheet, sample code, user manual, programming manual, API reference, reference design, and so on, with the innovation market, thereby eliminating the bottleneck that product developers may face during the R&D process.
For the developers, tech suppliers, and product manufacturers in Taiwan, the "HUB 8735" EVB also has another niche. With the rising demand of information security around the world, the choice of domestic ICs has much greater market potential and can also guarantee more frequent and efficient service. With the AI trend underway, SOCs with built-in NPUs have performed well in the market. Taiwan’s IC industry has always maintained a strong advantage in global chip manufacturing. As for Smart AI Camera EVB, it is a relatively new market. In the future, it will need more supporting solution providers in the market of AIoT applications, so as to bring about faster commercial operation and better competitiveness.
The rise of AIoT has brought new opportunities and challenges. At this point of time, we look forward to seeing more domestic companies develop products with our "MIT" EVBs, thereby facilitating the development of Taiwan's tech industry and making contributions to the global AIoT communities.