Listen to this articleADLINK Technology Inc. is a global leader in edge computing. Here you can find our interview with Toby McClean, VP of IoT and Innovation at ADLINK Technology:
Q: Can you tell us something more about the company?
A: We help our customers and partners build and deploy Edge IoT solutions using AI and Machine Vision by embedding intelligence at the source of data producing “things” with edge software and edge hardware. ADLINK has been around for over 25 years and like our namesake, our history is rooted in providing the “Analog Digital LINK” – ADLINK – to connect people, places and things with AI. We serve the manufacturing, communications, healthcare, aerospace, defense, energy, infotainment and transportation industries. ADLINK is also a Premier Member of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance, a partner of NVIDIA and many others. We are also part of several committees and standards initiatives including Eclipse IoT, Robotics Operating System (ROS) 2 Technical Steering Committee, Object Management Group and Forbes Technology Council among others. ADLINK is ISO-9001, ISO-14001, ISO-13485 and TL9000 certified and is publicly traded on TAIEX (Stock Code: 6166).
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Q: What the benefits of Edge AI?
A: Bringing AI to the edge expands the number of ways businesses can gain value from AI because it allows data to be acted upon when it’s still valuable, as it’s being produced, in real-time. For instance, there is little value of detecting a fault on a production line an hour after its occurred. This is where Edge AI is a game changer. Let’s look at some specifics:
- Edge AI and networking- there is a reason Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and the advancement of 5G go hand-in-hand. Bringing AI to the networks edge allows for faster AI computing, reduction in network latency and associated costs. Train AI models in the cloud, run them at the edge is a motto we like.
- Edge AI and fault tolerance- paraphrasing Murphy’s Law, “anything that can go wrong will go wrong”- here at ADLINK, our edge AI solutions are built modularly. In the unforeseen event that a component fails, the rest of the solution still works, operations still continue. With Edge AI there is also the ability to run AI inference offline if needed.
- Edge AI and privacy- often times, for legal reasons, data cannot leave the premises. Edge Computing allows data to remain local.
Q: Who is your ideal client and why?
A: Any business with mission-critical operations are ideal because the edge offers tremendous value. For instance:
- Robotics and autonomous vehicles- safety, reliability and interoperability is critical in robotics and autonomous vehicle development and deployment. Which is why we’re heavily invested in continuing to evolve data-centric middleware and Edge AI platforms for autonomous mobility. Take a look at the work we’re doing with Eclipse Cyclone DDS, or our recently announced partnership with Tier IV, ITRI, Autoware and Autocore.
- Manufacturing and distribution- it’s critical that production lines operate and fulfillment accuracy is correct when it comes to operational costs, customer satisfaction and employee ergonomics. Evans Distribution is a fantastic example of using AI-based Machine Vision, at the edge, to improve order accuracy and employee ergonomics within their production line.
- Energy and power – worker safety is critical in the energy and power industry, sometimes all it takes is one wrong move without proper protective equipment for an employee to require medical attention. Edge AI and machine vision helps eliminate the risk with personal protective equipment (PPE), a great example here. Or even remote capability to keep power running during unexpected crises and natural disasters where costs, timing and remote monitoring are key. Take a look at how ADLINK helped after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico here.
Q: What’s the best thing about ADLINK that people might not know about?
A: ADLINK is not just a hardware provider, we have our own proprietary edge software as well, including ADLINK Edge™ and ADLINK DDS, often times providing plug and play edge solutions that combine our hardware and software to make AI at the edge easier and faster. Our plug and play machine vision AI devkit Vizi-AI™ for instance, that combines ADLINK’s edge hardware and software, has won 3 awards this year to-date including Compass Intelligence’s Machine Vision technology award, Vision Systems Design Innovator Award and Embedded Computing’s 2020 Best in Show award. We also have an entire community dedicated for Machine Vision AI at the edge that people may not know about called Goto50.ai.
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Q: What can we expect from ADLINK in next 12 months?
A: Leaving some room for suspense and excitement, you can expect ADLINK to bring AI to more types of edge devices and also edge AI solutions that are applicable to robotics, gaming, smart cities, manufacturing and healthcare.
Last Updated on August 4, 2020
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