Sony is bringing machine intelligence to its image sensors. The electronics and entertainment giant announced this week a sensor that applies artificial intelligence while processing imagery without the need for extrema hardware or assistance.
But Sony's new IMX500 sensor is the first to improve efficiency though AI implementation.
Sony says the new 12.3 megapixel sensor bypasses the commonly used practices of sending video images to the cloud or tacking on additional hardware for processing and analysis. Instead, the sensorswill act as mini-computers capable of virtually instantaneous image recognition.
The chips will speed up analysis and eliminate reliance on cloud resources.
For purposes of comparison, the IMX500 can apply a standard image recognition algorithm to an individual video frame in 3.1 milliseconds. Google's Movidius sensors, on the other hand, require up to a few seconds to process the same data.
The sensors can handle up to 4K 60 fps video streaming.
Sony is a major supplier of image sensors for Apple iPhones and Nikon cameras.
The first sensors are being shipped to commercial establishments for evaluation. Consumer rollout is expected early next year.