Amazon unveils £185 machine learning DeepLens camera that lets anyone develop their own AI systems

By Techenonik  For Mailonline08:55 GMT 30 Nov 2017, updated 09:43 GMT 30 Nov 2017

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• DeepLens was created by Amazon Web Services for use by software developers
• It comes packed with AI tools to design and test out their own creations
• It can recognise objects, faces and automatically label a range of actions
• Giving smaller companies the kit could fuel a boom in smart apps and hardware

Developing artificial intelligence systems just got a lot easier, thanks to Amazon's DeepLens camera.

The $250 (£185) gadget can recognise objects, faces and automatically label what actions people are taking, which programmers can use to develop their own machine learning apps and hardware.

Putting the affordable technology into the hands of smaller companies could fuel a boom in smart systems, like the retail giant's own Alexa assistant.

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Developing artificial intelligence systems just got a whole lot easier, thanks to Amazon's DeepLens camera. The $250 (£185) gadget can recognise objects, faces and automatically label what actions people are taking

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

AI systems rely on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which try to simulate the way the brain works in order to learn.

ANNs can be trained to recognise patterns in information - including speech, text data, or visual images - and are the basis for a large number of the developments in AI over recent years.

DeepLens uses a four megapixel camera to capture 1080P high definition video, as well as a microphone to record audio. 

It is powered by an Intel Atom processor and 8GB of memory, which can run the frames of incoming video through on-board deep learning models.

These models can recognise cats and dogs, faces, a wide array of household and everyday objects, and more than 30 motions and actions. 

This includes brushing teeth, applying lipstick and playing guitar.

The camera can connect to networks and devices through Wi-Fi, USB and micro HDMI ports.

DeepLens was developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of the Seattle firm that provides an on-demand cloud computing platform to businesses and consumers.

It comes packed with a suite of AI tools that will let developers with little experience of machine learning design and test out their own creations.

The device does so without needing to connect to AWS's servers, speeding up the process of testing.

DeepLens is already available to via Amazon's US site, although it is not known when it will be released globally. 

MailOnline has contacted Amazon for a comment. 

In a written statement, Jeff Barr, chief evangelist for AWS, said: 'For most of my career, artificial intelligence has been an academic topic, with practical applications and real-world deployment “just around the corner.” 

'I think it is safe to say that we’ve turned the corner and that now is the time to start getting some hands-on experience and polishing your skills. 

'Today I would like to tell you about AWS DeepLens, a new video camera that runs deep learning models directly on the device, out in the field. 

'You can use it to build cool apps while getting hands-on experience with AI, IoT, and serverless computing.' 

AI systems rely on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which try to simulate the way the brain works in order to learn.