Azure Percept

Azure Percept is a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform of AI enabled hardware modules that make prototyping easy right out of the box. This new hardware platform integrates the industry standard 8020 aluminum extrusion to provide flexiblilty in development of new products while seamlessly fitting in with existing prototyping projects.

As lead designer, I developed Azure Percept hardware to better streamline the setup, configuration, and connection of these smart devices with cloud-based AI models on the Edge.

Team

Tactile
Microsoft ID

Contributions

UX Design
Industrial Design
CMF Design

Azure Percept Studio

is a complete platform for easily creating edge AI solutions. Use an integrated collection of Azure services and tools designed for device provisioning, AI and machine learning deployments, and AI lifecycle management at the edge. My design helps users prototype iOT data capture for their own projects and connect it to the cloud based tools available in Percept Studio.

Data In

• Vision and sound data from the world

Data Out

• object recognition and training

• speech to text

• audio processing

• depth sensing, space tracking

Inspiration + Design Principles

Defining foundational design principles helped guide my work from concepts to reality. I looked at products that embraced raw components as a defining feature to both form and functionality and incorporated them into my design strategy.

Honest

Celebrate the rawness of the components as they are.

Powerful

Present the system as a powerful and capable professional tool, not a cheap toy.

Functional

Users have a variety of needs. This system should accommodate many use cases.

Self-connectivity, flexibility, immediacy, and longevity were critical considerations for each concept, and they each balance these needs in different ways. We explored a T-Rail extrusion platform that integrates with existing robotics and existing prototyping systems as well as a modular frame that makes the self-attachment of components simple to install.

The mounting board concept ensured the out-of-box setup was immediate and intuitive while the bent sheet metal tabs are visible due to their lightweight and flexible nature. After refinement and prototyping, we chose the T-Rail platform as the best solution to develop Azure Percept DK due to its ubiquity in engineering teams around the world.

80/20 Aluminum Extrusion

80/20 is a professional grade erector set in which extruded rails and various parts attach themselves with a t-slot fastener. 80/20 is a favorite platform for people who build robots, technical workstations, and high-tech prototypes.

We incorporated a standard 80/20 T-shape into the design of the three IOT components for instant integration into the system.

Powerful, Flexible, Functional

We helped to bring the Azure Percept DK platform to life with a design that is powerful enough to prototype for production yet flexible enough for any type of project.

Azure Percept is already having immediate impact in the world of prototyping: Car manufacturers are improving object recognition in AI driving systems, municipalities are monitoring traffic to help pedestrians stay safe on our streets, and schools are having fun building robots .