Quote:
Originally Posted by jman4747
Not necessarily. Most people use open cv libraries with c++ on the Jetson TK1, and other SBLC's. The libraries are written the same for it, Linux pc's, laptops, windows pc's, etc. Even the GPU libraries are fuctionaly the same and look almost identical. Furthermore standard open cv GPU libraries work with Nividia GPU's in general not just the Jetson. If you mean Linux vs windows... before the Jetson I've never used Linux but the GUI desktop is very easy to get into and I was able to install everything necessary having never used linux. Thus anyone with a computer or other SBLC running windows/Linux and able to dev in C++ can write code that can be used on the co-processor.
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Firstly I will not deny that the Jetson TK1 is great bit of kit.
Secondly CUDA development is sometimes leveraged in the financial industries in which I often work. Some problems are not well suited for it, luckily OpenCV does leverage it, but I can certainly see various ways it could be poorly utilized regardless of support. As you say OpenCV supports it but what if you don't want to use OpenCV?
Thirdly the Jetson is actually more expensive than you might think. It lacks an enclosure and again the battery that you'd get with the laptop or a phone. Once you add those items the laptop or phone is cheaper. If you don't care about the battery then the Jetson wins on the price over the laptop because then you don't need to deal with the power supply issue the laptop would create without the battery, but a used phone would still likely over take the Jetson with or without the battery for price.
Fourthly the phone is smaller than 5"x 5" and very likely lighter even with the battery. You might even have the phone development experience because teams like MORT write scouting apps that are in the Android store.
Fifthly the Jetson does not have a camera and an old phone probably does. Maybe even 2 cameras facing different directions or in a small number of cases 2 cameras facing the same direction. What the Jetson does have is a single USB 2 port and a single USB 3 port. While a laptop might have 4 or even more USB ports (yes often laptops have integrated USB hubs on some of these ports, but you would have to add a USB hub to the Jetson and you would run out of non-hubbed ports fast like that). That might matter a lot if you intend to not use Ethernet (I2C USB adapter or USB digital I/O like an FTDI chip or Atmel/PIC MCU). To put this in a fair light I will refer here:
http://elinux.org/Jetson/Cameras
If you need expensive Firewire or Ethernet cameras you already consumed the cost of possibly 3 USB cameras for each.
Worse you might be back on the D-Link switch or dealing TCP/IP based video which for this application is in my opinion not a good idea.
Finally I will acknowledge that the Tegra TK1 is basically a general purpose computer with a GPU. So therefore you can leverage tools as you say. Still all the testing needs to end up on it. You could develop up to that point but then you'd need to buy it to test. Maybe buy more than one if you have a practice robot. Maybe even more if you have multiple developers. Students usually do not work like professional programmers as the sheer number of cRIO reloads I have seen can demonstrate.
On the plus side you could build up to the point you have it working. Then load it on the Jetson and if it doesn't work take your laptop apart. So there's that.
For a different dimension to this analysis which skill is probably worth more: the ability to write Android and Apple apps that you can bring to market while still a high school student or the ability to write CUDA apps? Both could analyze video but which one would you mentor if you wanted to give your student the most immediately marketable skill they can use without your guidance? My bet is the Android and Apple app skills would more immediately help a student earn a quick buck and be empowered. Mining bit coins on CUDA is not as profitable as you think

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