Russian engineers have created the Brain Box microcomputer, capable of replacing a combination of two separate boards in any drone or robot. As reported to "Izvestia" by the press service of the NTI Platform, the board combines an artificial intelligence processor and a flight controller with navigation and engine control.
Project leader German Yangalin explained: usually, the AI calculator and controller are two different boards connected by wires. Data is transmitted with a delay, and the design is bulky. Brain Box compresses everything into one module, eliminating wires and instantly reacting to obstacles.
The system consumes 12 W – like a light bulb – and supports connecting cameras, lidars, and thermal imagers. Built-in Russian cryptography protects against control interception, and the platform itself is compatible with Linux, Astra Linux, KasperskyOS, "Alt", and "Aurora".
The solution aims to replace American counterparts – ModalAI, NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2, which run on closed chips and software. Experts from TsKBR warn that not only hardware plays a key role, but also the software ecosystem that Western vendors have built over the years. Brain Box is currently undergoing laboratory tests, field tests are the next step, and implementation into production is estimated to be at least a year away.
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