Right now drones and robots do whatever we tell them to do. We can set things like waypoints and automate tasks, but basically at the end of the day, these are all preprogrammed functions. However in a bid to make drones and robots smarter and more autonomous, NVIDIA has launched the Jetson TX1.
As you can see in the photo above, the Jetson TX1 is a credit card-sized supercomputer. With this small device, the idea is to apply the power of machine learning to drones and robots, making them smarter and more autonomous than before, according to Deepu Talla, vice president and general manager of the Tegra business at NVIDIA.
Talla states, “Jetson TX1 will enable a new generation of incredibly capable autonomous devices. They will navigate on their own, recognize objects and faces, and become increasingly intelligent through machine learning. It will enable developers to create industry-changing products.”
Now the idea of robots and machine learning isn’t new. However the idea behind the Jetson TX1 is to make it more affordable. This means that even if you’re just a hobbyist who is tinkering around in their room, you will be able to apply this technology to your creations. The Jetson TX1 developer kit is priced at $599 and general availability is set for early 2016.