FF,
I know this is a few days old but I'm thinking the under water project that Rob keeps mentioning is not to do with university research.
I think it has more to do with a particular beneficial AI application. There are a few use cases that Brainchip keep throwing around publicly, including industrial/commercial use cases like bridge vibration monitoring (Hibot/ Magik Eye most likely), smart smelling fridge (Samsung) and the Covid breathalyser (Nanose). These are ones they have permission from their customers to talk about, there are probably others which are never to be mentioned under any condition.
In addition there are exclusively beneficial feel-good applications like animal tracking collars (think Edge Impulse + maybe Bill Gates charity here), and what I suspect will be an under water beneficial AI use case. These beneficial AI use cases I suspect are not high paying. Rather, I suspect Brainchip are utilising some of its resources to deliver game changing solutions that will help protect the environment or the like while demonstrating the technology in harsh remote conditions. This will be great for company PR and I can imagine seeing some great future posters of these in their sales offices or at future road shows or as slides in future PowerPoint presentations. This is what I partly suspect Rob was referring to on his latest podcast where they are trying to find a balance between high paying commercial applications and novel, less well paying applications.
This needs more research but one potential contender for the underwater case is Corail, the underwater coral health tracking system. This was previously mentioned on this forum but there's limited information on it. This is currently powered by Intel Xeon, as Intel are one of the partners.
With Intel being a partner, you would think this would rule us out. However, at the end of the following article it talks about how they are currently developing the next generation system optimized for CNNs. I'm not sure if this is purely software or if there is a hardware element. Akida would be the perfect fit here because it is a neuromorphic processor optimized for remote low power applications. I'm not saying this is us, but I suspect it will be a case like this where we will be involved.
I considered the smart water leak detection system being implemented in Sydney by the same Professor involved with the Jericho Lab MANTIS camera but I don't think this would evoke a large enough emotional response. Similarly, defense applications wouldn't make the cut. I think it has to be an environmental case which will help protect our oceans, fish, coral or the like. It will be Brainchip's subtle way of saying they are doing their part and to come to us for the most revolutionary, intelligent and green technology currently available.
Pure speculation, DYOR
https://newsroom.intel.com/news/using-artificial-intelligence-save-coral-reefs/amp/
“Project: CORaiL is an incredible example of how AI and edge technology can be used to assist researchers with monitoring and restoring the coral reef. We are very proud to partner with Accenture and the Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation on this important effort to protect our planet.”–Rose Schooler, Intel corporate vice president in the Sales and Marketing Group
Accenture’s VASP solution is powered by Intel® Xeon® processors, Intel® FPGA Programmable Acceleration Cards, Intel® Movidius™ VPU and the Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit.
What’s Next: Engineers are at work on the next-generation Project: CORaiL prototype, which will include an optimized convolutional neural network and a backup power supply. They are also considering infrared cameras, which enable nighttime video capture to create a complete picture of the coral ecosystem. Additional uses could include studying the migration rate of tropical fish to colder waters and monitoring intrusion in protected or restricted underwater areas.
(20min delay)