Hi all,
OpenMV IDE v2.0.0 is now here! The new IDE release brings OpenMV Cam Firmware v3.0.0 which includes CNN support and we've added the CNNs we've made so far to the IDE (Tools -> Machine Vision -> CNN Library)! We'll be expanding the CNN library in the future with all kinds of classifiers using open training data sources and we'll release our scripts that we use for this so you can train your own classifiers too.
We're very happy that ARM released the CMSIS-NN library. Future major features released for the OpenMV Cam will be done through CNNs versus traditional machine vision algorithms (however, I will make an effort to port a few more traditional algorithms). In particular, CNN support allows you to build a classier to do whatever you need without waiting for us to add support to the firmware for an image processing feature.
OpenMV Cam H7 KickStarter
We're finally ready to start working on the OpenMV Cam H7 KickStarter! We've finished getting all drivers working and verifying all functionality for the OpenMV Cam H7! From now until the campaign launches in September we're going to focus on website updates and a media campaign to get the word out.
For the new OpenMV Cam H7 we focused on getting these big new features working:
#1 Global Shutter Support
We've had a lot of inquires about global shutter support. So, it's now done and working. Cheap global shutter imaging for everyone is coming soon. Also, note that you can indeed use the OpenMV Cam as a webcam to a Pi if you just need the global shutter feature and nothing else. Thanks to the on board JPEG compression hardware we can stream VGA images at 20 FPS over the 12 Mb/s USB 2.0 bus. If you lower the res you can also stream RAW RGB565 or Grayscale images quickly too. Best of all, the OpenMV Cam can expose the image on-demand with global shutter trigger control when you call snapshot().
#2 FLIR Thermal Imaging Support
Thermal vision makes some things easy. Need to detect a person in a room? With a FLIR sensor the problem just becomes as simple as blob tracking. With the OpenMV Cam H7 you'll now be able to use the FLIR 1/2/3 with your OpenMV Cam. Our drivers seamlessly work with any FLIR sensor allowing you to focus on writing some very simple blob tracking code to detect movement or etc. And like with global shutter imaging above, you can also use the OpenMV Cam with a Pi.
#3 Re-loadable CNNs
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the OpenMV Cam M7/H7 now support loading CNNs trained on your PC. The networks are stored in binary files that your OpenMV Cam can easily load off of an SD card or from it's internal flash.
Moving Forwards
We'll be focusing on updating the website first followed by getting the KickStarter setup and a video produced in the next month. Our goal is to launch the KickStarter in September. In the mean-time, please let folks know about what's coming and to follow us on Twitter, YouTube, and sign-up to our mailing list!
