'Computer of Poor Countries' Raspberry Pi, the Core of the Robot Industry [Tech Talk]

Small Computer Developed by Raspberry Pi Foundation
Created to Support Education for Children in Developing Countries
Now Established as a Control Device for 'Collaborative Robots'

Anyone interested in the IT field has probably heard of "Raspberry Pi" at least once. It is a tiny computer developed by the UK-based nonprofit organization, the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and gained popularity as a programming education tool for youth in developing countries due to its low price of just $40.

However, Raspberry Pi is no longer just a "computer for poor countries." It is now recognized as a key component in "collaborative robots," which are currently the hottest topic in the robotics industry.

A Hobby and Educational Mini Computer Developed by a Charity

Raspberry Pi ultra-compact computer. [Image source=Raspberry Pi official website]

Small computers like Raspberry Pi are commonly called "Single Board Computers" (SBCs). This means that all the components of a computer are integrated onto a single circuit board. Although the Raspberry Pi itself is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, it contains all the necessary parts of a computer, including a CPU, GPU, power supply, memory (RAM), and USB ports.

When Raspberry Pi first appeared, it was mainly used for IT education for children in developing countries. However, its affordable price and portability attracted the interest of amateur developers, and SBCs like Raspberry Pi quickly became popular as new hobby tools.

Now, SBCs are used in much more serious fields. Raspberry Pi is employed in robots, drones, and prototypes for corporate research and development (R&D). Among these, the most notable area is collaborative robots.

How Raspberry Pi Became the 'Brain' of Collaborative Robots

An example of using a Raspberry Pi as a controller for a collaborative robot. [Image source=YouTube]

Collaborative robots, such as the recently listed "Doosan Robotics," are considered the next growth engine of the robotics industry. These robots are distinguished from the typical "industrial robots" seen in general factories.

Industrial robots are large robotic arms that quickly repeat simple tasks. They are fast and sturdy but also dangerous. Since they cannot stop operating even when people are nearby, safety measures such as fencing off the area where industrial robot equipment is installed are necessary.

However, collaborative robots operate in environments where humans are present. They are much smaller than industrial robots but smarter and more agile. Collaborative robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) can recognize surrounding objects and autonomously adjust the position of their arms, demonstrating flexible movements.

General industrial robots are controlled through "Programmable Logic Controllers" (PLCs) that operate using dedicated programming languages. The photo shows a PLC device developed by LS Electric.
[Image source=LS Electric]

Because of this, collaborative robots require a completely different "brain" from industrial robots. Industrial robots typically operate using a "Programmable Logic Controller" (PLC). This is a large computing device that controls the robotic arm and uses a proprietary programming language unique to the robotics field to write commands. Although it is difficult to handle and modify, it offers high reliability, which is suitable for factory environments where even minor errors can lead to serious accidents.

Collaborative robots are much better off using general-purpose computers as control devices rather than PLCs. Since they must work alongside humans, commands often need to be modified, and they must be capable of much more complex behaviors than industrial robots.

Raspberry Pi attracts attention because it has the ideal size, power consumption, and cost to serve as the brain of such collaborative robots. Even now, many amateur developers connect Raspberry Pi with collaborative robots to realize robot control.

Additionally, Raspberry Pi supports common programming languages (such as Python and C++) through its own operating system (OS) and can connect to the internet. This means it is easy to embed commonly used AI models into robots today.

Thanks to this, there is an abundance of applicable variations. Intelligent farm robots have been developed by connecting Raspberry Pi with NVIDIA GPUs, and automatic robots capable of sorting specific items from piles of garbage by linking Raspberry Pi with image sensors have also been invented.

The Dominant Player in the SBC Market... A Success Story of 'Philanthropic Capital'

A farm cooperative robot equipped with a computer integrating a Raspberry Pi and a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to provide artificial intelligence. [Image source=YouTube]

As the profitability of SBCs has been recognized, the number of companies producing products similar to Raspberry Pi has increased. Most of these are Chinese products competing on price.

However, the reason people insist on Raspberry Pi is not just because of its price. Since its founding in 2006, Raspberry Pi has focused solely on developing "affordable and excellent" computers, making it a company that excels more than any other in improving the "price-performance ratio."

For example, the latest device released earlier this month, the "Raspberry Pi 5," offers up to four times the computing performance compared to its predecessor, the Pi 4, but the price has only increased by $5.

Inside view of the Raspberry Pi factory. The factory's automation facilities are all controlled by Raspberry Pi computers. [Image source=Raspberry Pi official YouTube]

Moreover, Raspberry Pi has started designing its own semiconductors in collaboration with various companies and now operates an automated factory capable of producing 5 to 7 million SBCs annually. Even the robots inside the factory are operated using Raspberry Pi.

Recent IT innovations such as smartphones, cloud servers, and AI have all progressed in tandem with hardware advancements. If Raspberry Pi can continue to explosively improve the "performance per dollar" of SBCs, collaborative robots will become the true core of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation, which owns the rights to Raspberry Pi, has established a for-profit subsidiary called "Raspberry Pi Limited" and is preparing to become a full-fledged global IT giant. It plans to go public with an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) next year.

The IT industry is often marked by stories of endless competition, monopolies and oligopolies, and price hikes, but Raspberry Pi's success story shows that "philanthropic capital" can also operate within the IT industry.