AI and the Raspberry Pi: Machine Learning and IoT, What's the Impact?

Ah, Raspberry Pi, the little computer that could. On its initial release back in 2012, it quickly gained popularity among creators and hobbyists as a cheap and portable computer that could be the brain of their hardware projects. Fast forward to 2017, and Raspberry Pi is on its third generation and has been used in many more projects across various fields of study. 

Tech giants are noticing this trend and have started to pay closer attention to the miniature computer. Microsoft, for example, released Windows 10 IoT Core, a variant of Windows 10 that could run on a Raspberry Pi. Recently, Google revealed that they have plans to bring artificial intelligence tools to the Pi. And not just Google's AI, more and more AI libraries and tools are being ported to the Raspberry Pi every day. 

But what does it all mean? Does it have any impact on Raspberry Pi’s usage? Does it change anything in the world of Internet of Things?

For starters, let's recap what the Raspberry Pi is and how it has been used so far. The Raspberry Pi, in short, is a super cheap computer (it only costs $35) and is the size of a credit card. However, despite its ability to be usedasa usual, general-purpose computer, most people useRaspberry Pias the base of their hardware projects. 

These projects range from simple toy-like projects to complicated gadgets that actually do important work. They can be as simple as a media center for your TV or as complex as a house automation system. Do keep in mind that this kind of projectscan always be built using desktop computers, but it's not really practical to do so without the low price and the small size of the Raspberry Pi. 

Before we go on talking about having artificial intelligence on the Raspberry Pi, we need to have the same understanding of AI.

(from http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/TECH/innovation/07/09/face.recognition.facebook/t1larg.tech.face.recognition.courtesy.jpg) 

Artificial Intelligence has a wide range of complexity. It can range from a complicated digital assistant like Siri, to a news-sorting program, to a simple face detection system that can be found in many cameras. The more complicated the AI system, the bigger the computing power required by the system. So, with the limited processing power we have on the Raspberry Pi, the types of AI that can run on that mini computer will be limited to the simple ones as well. 

Also, there's another aspect of AI called machine learning. It's the kind of technology that enables an AI to play and win against humans in a match of Go. The core of machine learning is basically to make a computer improve its own algorithm by processing a large amount of data. For example, if we feed a computer thousands of cat pictures, it will be able to define a pattern for 'cat' and use that pattern to find cats in other pictures. 

There are two parts in machine learning. The first one is the training part, where we let a computer find an algorithm that suits the problem. The second aspect is the application part, where we apply the new algorithm to solve the actual problem. While the application part can usually be run on a Raspberry Pi, the training part requires a much higher processing power. To make it work, the training part is done on a high-performance computer elsewhere, and the Raspberry Pi only executes the training result.

So, now we know that the Raspberry Pi can run simple AI. But what's the impact of this? 

Well, to put it simply, having AI will enable creators to build an entirely new class of gadgets on the Raspberry Pi. It will allow the makers to create an actually smart device based on the small computer. Without AI, the so-called smart device will only act following a limited set of rules that have been defined. For example, we can develop a device that automatically turns off lights at a specific time every day, but without AI we can't have the device detect if there's anyone in the room or not. 

With artificial intelligence, our devices will be able to adapt to unscripted changes in our environment. Imagine connecting a toy car with a Raspberry Pi and a webcam and have the car be able to smartly map its path to the goal, or a device that automatically opens the garage door if it sees our car coming in. Having AI on the Raspberry Pi will enable the development of such smart devices. 

There's another thing to consider. One of Raspberry Pi's strong points is its versatility. With its USB ports and GPIO pins, the computer is able to interface with various digital sensors. The addition of AI will enable the Raspberry Pi to process even more sensors like fingerprint readers or speech recognition with a microphone, further enhancing its flexibility. 

All in all, artificial intelligence is a perfect addition to the Raspberry Pi. It enables the creation of even smarter devices based on the computer and unlocks the potential of the Internet of Things to every maker and tinkerer in the world.

About the author

RakaMahesa is a game developer at Chocoarts (http://chocoarts.com/),who is interested in digital technology in general. Outside of work hours, he likes to work on his own projects, with Corridoom VR being his latest released game. Raka also regularly tweets as @legacy99.