Digital Augmentation for Analog Systems

Photon-X and Pilot AI will assess the feasibility of building a rangefinder that uses object shapes and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to better detect objects and estimate their range. The project will combine novel shape-sensing imaging technology with edge-optimized AI algorithms that can run on a small, battery-powered device. The key tasks of the project will be: Validate that a computer vision AI model can be trained on the novel sensor data. 1. Investigate mechanisms for estimating range of objects using data from novel sensor. 2. Identify full list of system components needed to build a functional prototype rangefinder, evaluate and recommend top candidates for each component. 3. Characterize estimated system performance (e.g., range finding accuracy and battery life) based on output from tasks 1, 2, and 3. 4. This feasibility will build upon Photon-X’s and Pilot AI’s lengthy track records in key project areas, including cost-effective shape-sensing imagers that leverage traditional sensor technologies, and edge-optimized AI that has been deployed across millions of commercial electronic devices with similar Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints as this project’s target device specifications.