AMD has extended its Kria portfolio of adaptive system-on-module (SOM) boards with the introduction of the K24 and KD240 Drives Starter Kit, designed to facilitate the control of electric motors in robotics systems.
With this new platform, Kria aims to reduce the entry barrier for utilizing chips designed for robotics, as reported by Serve the Home.
Priced starting at $250, the K24 SOM and its corresponding starter kit are focused on cost-sensitive industries and commercial edge applications.
This versatile solution can find applications in electric motor systems, robotics for factory automation, power generation, and various modes of public transportation, including elevators and trains. It may also be integrated into medical systems, such as surgical robotics devices and MRI beds.
Simplified Robotics Control
The K24 SOM boasts a quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor, complemented by a dual-core Arm Cortex-R5F real-time processor, running on the Ubuntu operating system. It features a Mali-400 MP2 GPU, an AMD Deep Learning Processor, and is equipped with 2GB LPDDR4 RAM.
Positioned as an entry-level module, the K24 SOM has particularly tailored for computing and input/output (I/O) tasks related to motor control. What sets it apart in the realm of motor control is its lower latency, with the K24 delivering a latency of 120ns, a significant improvement compared to the 276ns of Texas Instruments’ AM64XX.
The K24 can also be seamlessly integrated with the more powerful K26 in the same robotics systems thanks to a compatible connector.
With its integrated fan-out packaging, the K24 SOM is roughly half the size of a credit card, resulting in significantly lower power consumption compared to other alternatives on the market. It consumes half as much power as the aforementioned K26.
In addition to the K24 SOM, Kria’s starter kit includes an array of supplementary components that streamline the setup process for robotics systems, even for home applications. Furthermore, a second starter kit, the REB Robotics 2-in-1 Motor Kit Accessory, is set to be released in the near future, offering even more options for robotics enthusiasts.
