Studying ‘UP’ - AAEON Joins PlayRobot to Bring Educational Robots to Universities Across Taiwan

John Bernard 2023-02-13

Using the UP 4000, AAEON and PlayRobot bring aspiring developers the tools needed to succeed.

(Taipei, Taiwan – February 13, 2023) - AAEON, a leader in the IoT solutions sphere, is partnering with PlayRobot to launch a development kit for educational robots. Demonstrating the kit at National Central University, the team attracted substantial interest from the academic community, who are keen to incorporate the kit into their curriculum. AAEON’s UP product line has always focused on the needs of developers, and the latest platform is aimed at helping aspiring engineers and students develop edge AI applications.

Raspberry Pi boards are renown for being cost-efficient boards with a complete database, and so many aspiring developers or universities utilize them for application development. However, when it comes to application implementation, users often require Intel® solutions. With this in mind, AAEON has provided the UP 4000, which allows users to harness Intel's platform directly during the development stage, making it easier to bring applications to market.

The UP 4000 is an advanced version of the original UP board, equipped with the same 40-pin design as Raspberry Pi. Equipped with the latest Intel Celeron® N3350/Pentium® N4200/Atom® x7-E3950 processors, the UP 4000 offers a 30% increase in processing speed and twice the 3D image processing performance of the previous generation thanks to the Intel® Gen 9 HD processor graphics package. These features make the board suitable for industrial applications requiring greater processing power in a small form factor.

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The UP 4000 is equipped with a 6-pin wafer to support audio function, TPM 2.0 for enhanced security, and an HDMI 1.4 port, making it easy for users to connect cameras and other sensors to the device. Its USB Type-C supports DP 1.2, which also enables dual-visual displays up to 4K at 60Hz, alongside an optional carrier board which gives users Wi-Fi, 5G, or AI module support via two M.2 Key slots.

AAEON and PlayRobot's joint development of the educational robot kit is poised to bring cutting-edge technology to the classroom, making it easier for students and educators to get hands-on experience with AI and robotics development. The kit provides all the necessary components and tools to build and program a robot, making it an ideal solution for educators and schools looking to integrate AI and robotics into their curriculum.

"The PlayRobot team have been focused on creating AI products geared towards education. In addition to recognizing the future demand of smart applications, we also have a mission to help teachers and students quickly realize their AI application ideas. We are therefore excited to collaborate with AAEON to bring the UP 4000 and its Intel technologies to our teaching robots, as we believe it will enable aspiring AI developers to bring their ideas to life,” said PlayRobot CEO Jelly Wang.

This collaboration between AAEON and PlayRobot is just one example of the growing trend of technology companies entering the education market. By offering solutions that are both accessible and educational, these companies aim to foster the next generation of tech-savvy students and engineers.

"We are honored to be able to launch this teaching robot in collaboration with PlayRobot, which not only saves developers time by not needing to design a robot from scratch, but also accelerates the implementation of their application with software provided by PlayRobot. The academic community is therefore very interested in this kind of product, and we have provided several teaching robots for schools to test directly at this joint exhibition. All professors and students are welcome to join the event! said Jason Huang, Director of AAEON’s UP Division.

During the first half of 2023, AAEON will join PlayRobot in bringing the product to 10~20 colleges and universities, including National Central, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, National Chung Hsing, National Formosa University, National Taipei University of Technology, and Ming Chi University of Technology. For more detailed specifications of the UP 4000, please visit AAEON’s product page or contact our sales office at 02-89191234, ext. 1142.

About AAEON

Established in 1992, AAEON is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of industrial IoT and AI Edge solutions. With continual innovation as a core value, AAEON provides reliable, high-quality computing platforms including industrial motherboards and systems, rugged tablets, embedded AI Edge systems, uCPE network appliances, and LoRaWAN/WWAN solutions. AAEON provides industry-leading experience and knowledge to provide OEM/ODM services worldwide. AAEON also works closely with cities and governments to develop and deploy Smart City ecosystems, offering individual platforms and end-to-end solutions. AAEON works closely with premier chip designers to deliver stable, reliable platforms, and is recognized as a Titanium member of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance. For an introduction to AAEON’s expansive line of products and services, visit www.aaeon.com.