NVIDIA Jetson Nano

The Jetson TX2 has been the Tumbleweed’s main computer for the past year and we have had a great experience working with it so far. With the release of their new Jetson Nano, NVIDIA provided us with a sample unit to try out for free. The Jetson Nano is a slightly less powerful but far cheaper SoC (system on a chip) that is meant to run neural networks locally, reducing latency when deploying applications that need such features “on-the-edge” such as robotics. While it is not radiation-hardened or tolerant, it is certainly a useful test platform for parts of the Tumbleweed. Dominik, our ML specialist, took a closer look and came up with a sample application that showcases the Jetson Nano’s strengths when used to help select which images to send back to Earth, a use case that is extremely important for us. Take a look at the code and an in-depth description of what he built HERE.