Qualcomm RB5: A 5G‑Enabled AI Robotics Platform Powering Industry 4.0 and Advanced Drones

Qualcomm Technologies has unveiled the RB5 robotics platform, engineered for power‑efficient, high‑performance robots and drones that serve enterprise, industrial, and professional service applications. At its core lies the QRB5165 robotics processor, which delivers AI, machine learning, heterogeneous computing, advanced computer vision, and multi‑camera concurrency while operating across industrial‑grade temperature ranges and incorporating robust security features.

The RB5 platform is Qualcomm’s most comprehensive robotics solution to date, evolving from the well‑established RB3 line. It combines modular hardware, a rich software stack, and developer tools that can be tailored with options for vision, sensors, communications, and motor control—enabling a wide spectrum of industrial‑grade and commercial robotics use cases.

By fusing 5G connectivity with cutting‑edge AI, the RB5 empowers manufacturers to build the next generation of low‑power, high‑compute robots and drones for consumer, enterprise, defense, industrial, and professional services. The accompanying development kit provides the flexibility developers need to turn concepts into commercial products. According to Qualcomm, more than 20 early adopters are currently evaluating the platform.

“In the age of 5G and AI, robotics will be a key beneficiary,” said Dev Singh, Senior Director of Business Development and Autonomous Robotics at Qualcomm. “5G will elevate Industry 4.0 progressively, and the RB5 platform will be game‑changing for this industry.”

Leveraging its deep mobile‑systems expertise, Qualcomm is creating robots that are more powerful, secure, and intelligent than ever before. “We’ll accelerate growth across autonomous mobile robots (AMR), delivery, inspection, inventory, industrial, collaborative robots, and UAVs, enabling Industry 4.0 use cases and laying the groundwork for UAV traffic management,” added Dev.

Central to the platform is the QRB5165 system‑on‑chip (SoC), a heterogeneous architecture paired with Qualcomm’s fifth‑generation AI engine that delivers 15 TOPS of AI performance for complex deep‑learning workloads.

The processor supports edge‑based machine‑learning inference through the Hexagon Tensor Accelerator (HTA), a high‑performance image signal processor (ISP) that can run seven cameras simultaneously, and a dedicated computer‑vision engine (EVA). With 4G and 5G companion modules, the RB5 paves the way for 5G adoption in robotics and intelligent systems.

RB5 offers both off‑the‑shelf system‑on‑module solutions and flexible chip‑on‑board designs. It comes in multiple options, including commercial and industrial temperature ranges and an extended life‑cycle guarantee until 2029. “The platform eliminates the need to integrate disparate cameras, sensors, and more—customers can focus on their intellectual property,” said Singh.

Qualcomm has partnered strategically with TDK to integrate state‑of‑the‑art sensor technologies and motor‑control hardware into the RB5 platform, enhancing overall robotic performance.

AI engine, advanced imaging, and connectivity

The RB5’s compute capabilities, AI engine, and imaging stack are matched by versatile connectivity: long‑range Wi‑Fi, Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1, 4G, and 5G—all integrated into a single platform.

The QRB5165 powers high‑performance heterogeneous computing with an Octa‑Core Kryo 585 CPU, Adreno 650 GPU, multiple DSPs (compute, audio, sensor), and ISPs. Its dedicated AI engine, featuring the HTA, delivers 15 TOPS of AI performance, while the EVA block handles all computer‑vision tasks.

Advanced imaging is achieved through the Spectra 480 ISP, which captures fast, professional‑grade photos and videos at 2 Gpixel/s. This speed enables Dolby Vision capture, 8K video at 30 fps, 200‑megapixel photos, 4K HDR video at 120 fps, and 64‑MP photos—all with zero shutter lag.

The EVA accelerator supports complex computer‑vision workloads. The ISP also offers HEIF capture, slow‑motion video, Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HEVC, and HLG. Seven concurrent cameras enable simultaneous SLAM, object detection, classification, autonomous navigation, and path planning in complex indoor and outdoor environments.

Security is a cornerstone of the platform. The secure processing unit incorporates secure boot, cryptographic accelerators, a Qualcomm trusted execution environment (TEE), camera security, and is FIPS 140‑2 certified. Additional protections include key provisioning, malware safeguards, content protection, mobile security, processor security, and secure tokens for remote attestation and device provisioning. AI/ML security is reinforced with biometric authentication options—fingerprint, iris, voice, and face.

RB5 is 96Boards‑compatible, a first for a platform that combines 5G, AI, heterogeneous computing, a dedicated CV engine, and advanced ISP multi‑camera concurrency. 96Boards director Yang Zhang praised the platform as a revolutionary step for the robotics and drone market.

Siasun, a leading Chinese robotics manufacturer, was among the first to adopt the RB5 platform. Vice‑President Luo Yang highlighted the platform’s potential for light‑weight mobility, real‑time multi‑device interaction, and cloud‑based AI feedback.

Skydio’s CTO Abe Bachrach sees the RB5 as a catalyst for the small unmanned air vehicle (sUAV) industry, citing its integrated 4G/5G, heterogeneous compute, AI, camera, and security capabilities.

Commercial products based on the RB5 platform are slated for 2020, with a development kit available for pre‑order from Thundercomm. CEO Hiro Cai emphasized the platform’s role in driving industry transformation and industrial upgrading.

>> This article is based on new published on our sister site, EE Times