Sony Semiconductor unveiled and demonstrated an edge AI sensing platform for retailers at this week’s NRF Big Show in New York.

The Aitrios platform enables retailers and partners to visualise and capture the physical world of brick-and-mortar to enable AI predictions and solve problems such as on-shelf-availability, planogram compliance, staffing, merchandising and store operation optimisation.

The platform provides the tools, SDKs (software development kits) and development environment that can lower cost, reduce complexity, improve time-to-market and increase measurable RoI, all while providing privacy controls.

“The Aitrios platform is designed to democratise visual AI beyond expensive and unwieldy moonshot projects and move towards solving narrower, concrete problems that have a clearer path to deliver an RoI,” said Eita Yanagisawa, senior general manager of Sony Semiconductor. “The Aitrios teams are working with several partners and customers around the world on development concepts. We are excited to be able to launch Aitrios through the Microsoft Azure marketplace to US and European partners and customers. Together we will accelerate the age of edge AI sensing that works in synergy with the cloud services.”

As a part of Aitrios’ global expansion to support system integrators working on building visual AI, Sony also launched its Console Enterprise Edition, a fee-based service on the Aitrios platform, in the USA and Japan to expand services to meet the needs of various partners. This service will be available in some European countries during the first quarter of the year.

For the first time in the USA, Aitrios compatible AI cameras equipped with Sony’s IMX500 intelligent vision sensor with AI processing capabilities are available, with more manufacturers and models to be added in the future. These cameras will also be available in Europe.

Co-exhibiting partners doing proofs of concept (PoCs) using Aitrios at NRF Big Show were AWL for sustainable smart shelf management; Microsoft co-innovation lab and store PoC; Nomad Go Metashelf hybrid fixed and handheld system; Vision Group intelligent cooler machine technology; and Xailient ALPR for in-store pickup, kerbside delivery and dwell analytics.