Intel’s Joule is its most powerful dev kit yet

We’ve seen plenty of unique dev kits from Intel, including the SD card-sized Edison, but not one as powerful as this. Intel announced Joule today, a tiny maker board that will allow developers to test RealSense-powered concepts and, hopefully, bring them to the market faster than before. The company says the tiny, low-powered Joule would be ideal for testing concepts in robotics, AR, VR, industrial IoT and a slew of other industries. And it also looks like it could be an interesting way for students to dabble in RealSense’s depth-sensing technology in schools.

There will be two Joule kits to choose from: the 550x, which includes a 1.5GHz quad-core Atom T5500 processor, 3GB of RAM and 8GB of storage; and the 570x, which packs in a 1.7Ghz quad-core Atom T5700 CPU (with burst speeds up to 2.4GHz), 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Both models include “laptop-class” 802.11AC wireless, Intel graphics with 4K capture and display support, and a Linux-based OS.

Microsoft is already using Joule for its robotic companion “Bamboo,” which reminds kids with diabetes to check their blood sugar levels, while the French company EyeLights is using it to power a heads-up display for police motorcycle helmets. The Joule kits will be available today for IDF attendees, soon at Intel’s online store and they’ll reach retail partners in September.

Update: Intel reps tell me the Joule 570x is selling for $369, no word yet on how much the cheaper model will cost. Clearly, they’re aiming for much more sophisticated tinkerers than the $35 Raspberry Pi.

Source: Intel