Raspberry Pi AI Kit: Affordable Entry into AI Programming for Students and Hobbyists

The Raspberry Pi AI Kit is a budget-friendly add-on for the Raspberry Pi 5 that provides an affordable entry point into AI programming for students and hobbyists.

Key features and specifications:

• The $70 kit includes a Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+, a Hailo AI accelerator with a Hailo-8L AI chip rated at 13 TOPS, and mounting hardware to connect it to a Raspberry Pi 5 (sold separately for $80).
• The Hailo-8L’s 13 TOPS performance is comparable to first-generation AI accelerators in AMD’s Ryzen 7040 and Intel’s “Meteor Lake” mobile processors.
• Setup is straightforward, involving attaching the HAT+ to the Raspberry Pi 5 and connecting a camera module if desired for the included AI demos.

Exploring the included AI demos:

• Three demos are currently available that utilize the camera for AI applications:
  • A pose estimation demo tracks body movements using 17 points, similar to an Xbox Kinect.
  • An object detection demo identifies items held in front of the camera with reasonable accuracy.
  • An image segmentation demo isolates objects for potential background replacement.
• While the demos work reasonably well with only minor errors, they mainly serve as a starting point for users to develop their own AI applications using the kit.

Verdict: A promising platform for AI experimentation and learning:

• The Raspberry Pi AI Kit fulfills its purpose as an affordable and accessible platform for students and hobbyists to get started with AI programming.
• It offers little functionality out of the box for those not interested in software development, but provides a solid foundation for creating custom AI applications at a low cost of entry.
• As the kit and its software ecosystem mature, it has the potential to greatly expand access to hands-on AI development for learners and tinkerers.