AWS announces Panorama, a device that adds machine learning technology to any camera

AWS has launched a new hardware device, the AWS Panorama Appliance, which, alongside the AWS Panorama SDK, will transform existing on-premises cameras into computer vision enabled super-powered surveillance devices.

Pitching the hardware as a new way for customers to inspect parts on manufacturing lines, ensure that safety protocols are being followed, or analyze traffic in retail stores, the new automation service is part of the theme of this AWS re:Invent event - automate everything.

Along with computer vision models that companies can develop using Amazon SageMaker, the new Panorama Appliance can run those models on video feeds from networked or network-enabled cameras.

Soon, AWS expects to have the Panorama SDK that can be used by device manufacturers to build Panorama-enabled devices.

Amazon has already pitched surveillance technologies to developers and the enterprise before. Back in 2017, the company unveiled DeepLens, which it began selling one year later. It was a way for developers to build prototype machine learning models and for Amazon to get comfortable with different ways of commercializing computer vision capabilities.

As we wrote in 2018:

DeepLens is deeply integrated with the rest of AWS's services. Those include the AWS IoT service Greengrass, which you use to deploy models to DeepLens, for example, but also SageMaker, Amazon's newest tool for building machine learning models... Indeed, if all you want to do is run one of the pre-built samples that AWS provides, it shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes to set up ... DeepLens and deploy one of these models to the camera. Those project templates include an object detection model that can distinguish between 20 objects (though it had some issues with toy dogs, as you can see in the image above), a style transfer example to render the camera image in the style of van Gogh, a face detection model and a model that can distinguish between cats and dogs and one that can recognize about 30 different actions (like playing guitar, for example). The DeepLens team is also adding a model for tracking head poses. Oh, and there's also a hot dog detection model.

Amazon starts shipping its $249 DeepLens AI camera for developers

Amazon has had a lot of experience (and controversy) when it comes to the development of machine learning technologies for video. The company's Rekognition software sparked protests and pushback which led to a moratorium on the use of the technology.

And the company has tried to incorporate more machine learning capabilities into its consumer facing Ring cameras as well.

Still, enterprises continue to clamor for new machine learning-enabled video recognition technologies for security, safety, and quality control. Indeed, as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, new protocols around building use and occupancy are being adopted to not only adapt to the current epidemic, but plan ahead for spaces and protocols that can help mitigate the severity of the next one.