More Info on Qualcomm Always-On Vision Module

Qualcomm publishes a page about its previously reported always-on vision camera module and its use-cases:

"Operating at less than 2mW of end-to-end power, and expected to be sold at low cost, the CVM provides smartphones and IoT devices with affordable, always-on computer vision awareness. By emitting CV data about what’s happening in a field of view rather than transmitting images, the CVM also delivers a much more privacy sensitive vision solution."

Face Detection for Smartphones
"For smartphones, it provides passive, always-on face detection that can auto wake the device when a face is detected and auto sleep (save power) when a face is not detected. The CVM can also auto stop the screen brightness for as long as a face is detected. Additionally, the CVM also supports intelligent screen orientation where, upon face detection, it adjusts and holds the screen orientation based on the position of the user's face. The always-on CVM can also trigger third party applications and hardware. For example, it could enable a biometric-type iris authentication process to be initiated when a face is detected or a QR scanner could be initiated when a QR code is detected.

Beyond face detection, simple gestures can wake and trigger the smartphone handset. Lastly, the CVM can provide ambient light sensing (ALS) and proximity functionality."

Interactivity Trigger for Toys and Smart Appliances
"For example, it could enable a smart refrigerator door to turn transparent and light up when it detects that a user is interested in seeing what's inside, or it can enable an appliance screen to present a menu of options when it sees a user is interested in engaging with it."

Occupancy Trigger (OT) for Smart Home Devices
"With a smaller form factor than passive infrared (PIR) sensors, and at a very low cost and power, the CVM will more accurately identify humans in a field of view, and track their specific motion, noting whether they are moving toward the device or perpendicular to the device. It also discriminates between them and other moving objects, such as vehicles and pets, which normally trigger PIR sensors. The OT also provides associated metadata about the humans, reporting on variables such as location and the number of people within the sensor's field of view. Lastly, the highly flexible OT is trainable for varied types of object detection such as vehicles or pets using machine learning approaches."

Standalone Data Tracker (SDT)
"Our CVM is being engineered with a coin cell battery and Bluetooth radio into a stamp-sized SDT that can be used in commercial, residential, and smart city applications."