Sony Unveils $70 AI Camera for Raspberry Pi

The camera is powered by Sony's IMX500 intelligent vision sensor, which is capable of on-chip AI image processing. This minimizes data transfers and helps Raspberry Pi users develop edge AI solutions that process visual data.

The IMX500 has been available for years. In 2021, it was designed into the Nomad-Go HVAC control system that operated based on visual information on room occupancy and activity.

In April 2023, Sony Semiconductor announced it would make a minority investment in Raspberry Pi Ltd. and since then, the companies have been working on edge AI platforms.

The new AI Camera is compatible with all Raspberry Pi single-board computers, including the latest Raspberry Pi 5. This enables users to develop solutions with familiar hardware and software, taking advantage of the libcamera and Picamera2 software libraries.

"I'm very excited to share SSS edge AI sensing technology with the world’s largest development community as the first fruits of our strategic partnership. We look forward to further collaboration with Raspberry Pi using our AITRIOS edge AI solution development and operations platform," said Eita Yanagisawa, general manager of the system solutions division at Sony Semiconductor.