Stereolabs Unveils Terra AI, the Next Generation of General-Purpose Artificial Intelligence for Robots

New technology is capable of changing the face of agriculture, construction and logistics by improving autonomous capabilities

Stereolabs, a pioneer in vision-based sensing technology, introduced the latest addition to the company’s vision platform portfolio, Terra AI. This new technology is a groundbreaking, general-purpose AI, enabling robots and systems to operate with heightened safety and exceptional precision. Designed for an optimized implementation of front, back, and surround cameras for autonomous robots, Terra AI leverages monocular and stereo vision to provide 4D volumetric perception with unprecedented accuracy. This new technology performs depth, localization, semantic, obstacle detection and fusion from multiple cameras in both space and time. It represents a leap forward in the ability of autonomous robotics to perceive space.

Vision-based full autonomy for robots is a non-trivial task that requires multiple features to be performed simultaneously and efficiently on embedded hardware: depth estimation for spatial awareness, visual-inertial odometry for indoor and outdoor localization, semantic understanding for obstacle classification, terrain mapping and robust detection of people surrounding the robot for safety. Terra AI is a groundbreaking large Neural Network Architecture crafted with fast, memory-efficient, low-level code to perform those tasks concurrently on low-power embedded computers, enabling the processing of high-frequency, high-volume data from ZED cameras on the embedded NVIDIA® Jetson™ platform.

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Combining the high-performance NVIDIA® Jetson™ module with Terra AI, the Stereolabs vision platform is engineered with a blend of industry-proven hardware – the ZED cameras (including stereo and new mono cameras) – and software solutions. As such, Stereolabs supports various functions needed for enhanced perception around machines to allow for safe navigation and manipulation.

Many industries – from agriculture to logistics to construction and beyond – must produce at a higher volume and execute faster than ever before, all with fewer resources. At the same time, they’re contending with labor shortages and what can be hazardous working conditions. Autonomous robots are key to solving these challenges, but they need the ability to evaluate their surroundings, interpret data and complete tasks independently to be effective. Advanced sensing technology is crucial for unlocking those capabilities, and Terra AI is answering the call.

Terra AI offers a scalable way to deploy autonomous machines – such as tractors, mowers, utility vehicles, AMR, robotic arms and more – by leveraging low-cost cameras combined with NVIDIA® Jetson™ Orin GPU to provide a panoramic 360-degree surround view around the robot. The elimination of LiDAR or radar indicates a significant shift towards lower-cost scalable solutions.

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“As we further collaborate with manufacturers and system integrators, our latest Terra AI technology aims to address a growing need for a more open, adaptable and scalable vision platform delivering 360-degree perception and driving true autonomy,” said Cecile Schmollgruber, Chief Executive Officer of Stereolabs. “Terra AI will allow companies across industries to invest in autonomous robotics at scale, helping them run their operations with greater efficiency and precision at lower cost.”

Availability

Terra AI is now in research preview. It will be available to Stereolabs Enterprise customers in Q2 2024, and later on to all users via the ZED SDK. The ZED SDK is one of the industry’s most advanced, open and scalable AI Vision platforms, used by 100,000+ developers around the world. It is designed to help makers and industry leaders produce safe, smart autonomous applications running 24/7.

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As one of the industry’s most scalable and open systems for autonomous robotics, the ZED SDK supports flexible deployment options with its ability to scale from entry-tier front camera applications to higher levels of automation that require comprehensive surround-view camera applications, allowing for a common implementation of features and requirements across virtually all machine types. The ZED SDK offers a uniquely designed modular architecture to extend the flexibility for manufacturers to integrate depth sensing, indoor and outdoor localization, obstacle detection and people detection to support better customization and integration.

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