IOTech and Lotus Labs partner to deliver AI and visual inference at the IoT edge

Published on : 03 September 2021

Edge software platform combined with computer vision technology provides a more accurate real-time operational picture from the fusion of video analytics and conventional sensor data.

Edinburgh, UK, September 1, 2021 – IOTech, the edge software company, today announced its partnership with Lotus Labs, the machine learning experts, to deliver AI and visual inference solutions at the IoT edge. The partnership enables IOTech to integrate Lotus Labs’ computer vision technology into its edge software solutions.

This combination provides a functionality that is especially useful for companies building intelligent solutions across vertical use cases. These include loss prevention in retail, crowd management in entertainment venues, manufacturing component fault detection, COVID safe-distancing management, and smart safety systems within industrial plants.

The integrated solution will enable the data from conventional sensors and OT endpoints to be combined with the results from the latest AI and video inference technologies to provide a much more accurate real-time operational picture and make smarter decisions from the fusion of data.

“An IoT edge system’s ability to obtain immediate local insights from vision-based analytics will revolutionize how businesses create new value through their operations,” said Keith Steele, IOTech’s CEO, “Our partnership with Lotus Labs creates new opportunities to provide our customers with advanced AI and visual inference solutions.”

IOTech has pilot programs underway at major sporting venues and anticipates soon deploying AI and visual inference solutions for a number of these.

Lotus Labs, based in Arizona, provides visual inference through Padmé, its AI platform. Padmé will be integrated with IOTech’s Edge Xpert to offer a comprehensive solution for computer vision at the edge. The solution will support a range of use cases, including people counting, predictive maintenance, product quality checking and theft detection. All of these increase in accuracy through AI and video inference.

“Growth and advancements in AI, machine learning, computer vision and edge computing are coalescing to disrupt traditional business models,” said Anjali Nennelli, founder and CEO, Lotus Labs. “Our partnership with IOTech is another step forward in this journey to combine advanced technologies at the IoT edge to deliver new value for the enterprise.”

The global video analytics market size was valued at $4,102.0 million in 2019, and is projected to reach $21,778.0 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 22.7% from 2020 to 2027 (source Allied Market Research, April 2021). This growth represents a massive opportunity for vendors such as IOTech and Louts Labs who supply the software technologies that will help drive this adoption.

Source - Industrial Automation Magazine