UPDATE on OAK-D-WIFI OAK-D-POE, OAK-1-POE Estimated Shipment Dates + Photos
about 3 years ago – Sat, Mar 27, 2021 at 02:40:40 AM

Today we’ve got some not-so-good news and some cool news. First the not-so-good part: Due to a few mess ups on my part and some circumstances beyond our control, the timeline for delivery OAK-D-WIFI, OAK-D-POE, and OAK-1-POE has been pushed back even further.

The TLDR that you need to know is:

Final production of of the stretch-goal models now is estimated to be:

• OAK-D-WIFI: 30 April 2021
• OAK-D-POE: 20 May 2021
• OAK-1-POE: 20 May 2021
  
• This means that OAK-D-WIFI will likely ship in mid-May.
• And OAK-D-POE and OAK-1-POE will likely ship mid-June.

These delays are somewhat explained by what we mentioned in our previous update “European Orders Are Moving! And ‘March’ Shipments Are No Longer Looking Like ‘March’,” but there are two new things that further delayed these beyond what we expected:

1. Tooling error on my part (which impacts only POE models)
2. The “Macro Supply Chain Hurricane” (which impacts all models)

TOOLING OOPS (POE Models)

The tooling oops is simply my fault.  We got feedback that we should have 4x M3 mounting holes on the back of the OAK-D-POE and OAK-1-POE enclosure, and I said “Yes, we should - Andy, please make it so”. And I incorrectly assumed that this change wouldn’t impact tooling completion - as I thought the holes would be a post-tooling process, a drill-and-tap.  And I forgot to ask. So this changed reset the tooling clock, causing the POE models to by those 20 days later than the WIFI model. You can see the the addition of these mounting holes on the back of the enclosures (in addition to the tripod mount on the bottom) below for Original OAK-D-POE enclosure:

We did the same for the OAK-1-POE:

Note that for both of the design updates, the prototypes don't quite look as good as the pre-production samples, as they were partially manually modified.

So the bad news is that this change cost us around 20 days. (Or maybe 15 days?) The good news is that now both OAK-D-POE and OAK-1-POE come with these 4x M3 mounting holes on the back in addition to the ¼-20 Tripod hole on the bottom.

MACRO SUPPLY CHAIN HURRICANE

In addition to the delay caused from my error above, there’s also what is best named the “Macro Supply Chain Hurricane.”  Which is just about as crazy as it sounds, and seems like it would make a great band name (according to Phil). It’s a combination of impacts from early pandemic-induced semiconductor-factory shut-downs, coupled with all sorts of companies in the industry panic-ordering huge swaths of parts, usually way above the parts they actually need (ourselves included), which is causing even worse supply shortages worldwide (more on that later).

So on Wednesday this week we finally got delivery dates for the remaining parts required for OAK-D-WIFI, OAK-D-POE and OAK-1-POE, after months of iterative re-design because of global chip shortages.

And wow is it bad news. Even our power supplies were delayed because the IC that controls the power supply is stocked out.

To cut to the chase, here are the component delivery dates for each:

• OAK-D-WIFI: 8 April 2021
• OAK-D-POE: 23 April 2021
• OAK-1-POE: 23 April 2021

Mind you that many of the normally “long-lead” were ordered in or prior-to October 2020.  And those are not the problem.  The 12-day lead components are the problem.  We have now had multiple parts that are normally 12-day lead time (at most), that were ordered in January and now have a delivery date of July 2022 (yes, 2022).

Parts ordered with 12-day lead-time, which now show delivery in July 2022!

What?

How is it possible that a part that has 12-day max lead-time go to having a delivery date in July 2022?

Well, this is what Sequoia Capital described as a “macro supply chain hurricane” which is ripping across the whole world right now, disrupting everything from making Ford Trucks, to Playstation 5s.  And many parts that are normally in ample supply, having 12-day lead time, are stocked out everywhere… Panicked companies have then bought ALL FUTURE SUPPLY for many components.  These are companies who can’t survive/continue without these parts (and are having to shut down major production lines, including entire-vehicle production).  We’re guilty of this too… seeing late last year that the IMU we used in OAK-D-* units going to 52-week lead time, we bought out all of DigiKey of these, twice (sorry, everyone else).

Fortunately, in getting this bad news, we have been able to redesign to use alternate parts, which are still reasonably available (months, instead of 1+ year).  Some are not so lucky, and just have to wait.  In our case, we’ve been able to design around these.

This redesign re-occurred in sprints over several waves of getting this terrifying news.  And we were able to qualify the designs with these new components.  (And in one case, we materially improved the quality of an oscillator system, but this improvement actually doesn’t change anything in the final product - it’s just kind of a “that was neat, that has a lot better design margin now.”)

Anyway, here’s a sampling of the “macro supply chain hurricane”, for the curious reader:

• From PS5 to Ford F-150: How a global chip shortage is 'impacting everything', from CNET
• Samsung warns of deepening semiconductor shortage, Financial Times
• Semiconductor shortage puts brakes on Ford truck production, CBS News
• GM forced to cut production of midsize pickups due to chip shortage, CNBC
• NIO Electric Vehicle Production Hit by Semiconductor Shortage, Motley Fool

In good news, at least for me personally, everything that I’ve done that has mattered - has been done at the worst possible timing (not by my intention) - and this fits squarely into that.

“Let’s make a bunch of electronic devices which require all sorts of semiconductors and ship them all over the world during simultaneous crises in international shipping and semiconductor production/availability.”  That sounds like some pretty bad timing to me.

So hopefully this means we’re doing something that matters.

But speaking more broadly, we’re learning as we go.  For example, I won’t make the same tooling mistake again (and also the team will likely prevent me from doing so, even if I try).  And we’re working now to get long-lead contracts on all the parts (we’re buying out future supply), so that we don’t see delays like this again.

We’ll keep you all posted on how this all goes.

Cheers,

Brandon

P.S.:  Here is what OAK-D-WIFI looks like:

Note that both DepthAI and also the WiFi (ESP32) interface are programmable.  So there are 2 separate programming interfaces.  This programmability allows making standalone apps that integrate say with Azure Cloud, or to a smartphone over Bluetooth for example (or both).  And allows the use of a plethora of existing ESP32 apps.

And here’s a comparison to some others in the DepthAI/OpenCV AI Kit family:

Introducing The OpenCV AI Marketplace
about 3 years ago – Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 09:34:02 PM

Greetings, OAK community! During this Kickstarter campaign your massive support unlocked a bunch of stretch goals, and the biggest was a free OAK-compatible AI model suite. We’re happy to say that though these models are coming out a bit later than we'd hoped, they are now available to all Backers.

How do you access these models? Glad you asked. Like with this campaign we didn’t stop at what was promised but went a bit farther, and we’re so happy to give you a peek today.

Introducing The OpenCV AI Marketplace 

The OpenCV AI Marketplace is a new website and showcase for AI models, intended to improve several areas of AI development and integration in products: availability, discoverability, compatibility, performance benchmarking, deployment and monetization. This website is where OAK owners (both Backers and post-campaign buyers) will be able to test and download models that are OAK-compatible and OAK-benchmarked now and in the future.

By testing algorithms for their accuracy using standardized metrics, implementing common APIs for the models, and giving users the ability to see a model’s output live in-browser, the site takes much of the guesswork out of AI integration. The site also creates a clear path for the developers to monetize their algorithms, and for the companies to find, select and easily deploy the models. We hope that this marketplace will help the community create great products based on these models.

How Does It Work?

Models on the site are testable with your own input data by drag-and-drop in the browser, which uses new custom-built cloud infrastructure to generate model previews automatically in seconds or minutes. Many models on the site are OAK-compatible. The models included in the free OAK suite (unlocked during the campaign) will remain free forever.

The OpenCV AI Marketplace isn't just a great front-end for testing OAK-compatible models. It is backed by a custom-built continuous integration system which tests on real live OAK hardware, ensuring that models are not just functional but performant. Every model on the site is also available on a public Github repository, so users can see exactly what's going in to each one and where it came from.

Whether you are a model developer or an integrator looking for the right models for your use case, we hope that The OpenCV AI Marketplace will become an essential part of the global AI/CV community.

When Will It Be Available?

The OpenCV AI Model Marketplace is available today to Backers! All Backers have been invited using the email addresses used to pledge during the campaign. You should already have the invitation email from [email protected]. Be sure to check your spam folder, sometimes things get stuck in there accidentally.

Many thanks to the beta testers, and we hope you all enjoy this new service at modelplace.ai. The team will be listening for your feedback on the Luxonis Community Discord and the site's contact form.

List of Models Available

These models are all available right now on the site. You'll find a link to the Github repo and the Model Marketplace under an example GIF for each one.

 age_gender_recognition_retail - Modelplace - Github

 emotion_recognition_retail - Modelplace - Github

 facial_landmarks_35_adas - Modelplace - Github

 landmarks_regression_retail - Modelplace - Github

 dbface - Modelplace - Github

mobilenet_ssd - Modelplace - Github

pedestrian_detection_adas - Modelplace - Github

person_detection_retail - Modelplace - Github

person_vehicle_bike_detection_crossroad - Modelplace - Github

east_text_detector - Modelplace - Github

textboxes_plus_plus - Modelplace - Github

 tiny_yolo_v3 - Modelplace - Github

 yolov4_tiny - Modelplace - Github

 vehicle_detection_adas - Modelplace - Github

 vehicle_license_plate_detection_barrier - Modelplace - Github

 face_detection_adas - Modelplace - Github

 face_detection_retail - Modelplace - Github

 palm_detection - Modelplace - Github

 openpose - Modelplace - Github

lightweight_openpose - Modelplace - Github

More European floship Updates
about 3 years ago – Thu, Feb 04, 2021 at 01:17:36 AM

Last-Mile Courier Update

So floship's CEO is personally helping to get these resolved, and we are seeing progress.  So big thanks to him for jumping in and helping out!

So we received more information today from his help/digging on the specifics to the European orders, with information for some countries as to which 'Last Mile Courier' is being used to deliver the shipments.   As of this morning (floship's night), here are the latest we have.  Note that not all countries are covered (for example, we are awaiting information on who is doing last-mile delivery in the Netherlands - but some backers have received their units and informed us the deliveries are by Lithuania Post).

So your existing tracking number should work with the tracking systems for these couriers.  Which should help in case something goes wrong, or you need to coordinate delivery/etc.  The only exception we have seen is that there is no status yet for the Germany DHL ePacket.  We think this is because the shipments are still in the process of leaving the Netherlands on their way to DHL ePacket in Germany.  So likely in Germany this will also be true soon.

And it seems that today many European backers received their shipments.

Where Have These Packages Been?

One very helpful backer in the Netherlands (who received his shipment today), pealed off the shipping labels super carefully, one at a time, to see how many times his shipment had to be relabeled (and presumably, where they had been).  It looks like it was labeled a total of 3 times!  If these labels are an accurate indication of where these shipments went, then the at least his package first arrived in Sweden, then it went to the Netherlands, then to Lithuania and finally to the Netherlands again.   

And as to the `why` of these getting shuffled all around Europe - it looks like this was a result of Brexit, but the exact situation is not yet clear (we'll keep asking, as it will be interesting to know the final reason).  For example, what we do now know from floship below does not make it clear whether these were actually initially routed through the UK.  (I don't think they were, I think they were originally routed through Sweden).

"Some postal operators have Extraterritorial Office of Exchange's and are regulated by the host countries. In this case the GB government issued a last minute stop of EU bound postal traffic for the Extraterritorial Office of Exchange's in GB. All of that volume had to be rerouted to Extraterritorial Office of Exchange's in NL. The required switching of Extraterritorial Office of Exchange's was the reason for the need to relabel shipments. Add to that the fact there is ongoing tight air freight capacity as a result of no passenger air traffic in the world and each EU country are constantly changing their pandemic response rules."

Once we know, we'll update everyone, as I'm sure many of you are like me - and would like your curiosity sated as to what exactly went wrong here, and where.  I.e. what was the plan, why did it have to change, and what specifically were the new (and newer plans) as a result.

Thanks, all,

Brandon

Floship Update
about 3 years ago – Mon, Feb 01, 2021 at 03:49:20 PM

Hi everyone,

The floship CEO is reviewing the remaining problematic European shipments and working with the team to make sure these get delivered.  So I am having a call with him tomorrow at 8am.

So we will keep everyone posted how this goes.  And for anyone reaching out to floship directly, please hold off.  We are now working closely with floship to try to get this resolved.

Thanks, and sorry about all the shipping/logistics delays here,

Brandon

Update From floship on European Deliveries
about 3 years ago – Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 11:43:19 PM

Hi everyone,

We have been struggling to get help from floship and BoxC on the stuck European shipments.  Here is their support's response to our inquiries on these stuck European shipments:

---

As per courier, the package is still in transit. If it is not received within 30 days kindly inform us and will check them accordingly.

---

Clearly this is not an acceptable response.  "Stop emailing us - if the packages haven't arrived in another 30 days, then please email us again."  So we would like to apologize to all of our backers for having chosen the wrong shipper (for more background on who we evaluated, see Update #50).

Note that this email was sent to us after 46 days of delay.  46 days.

In response to this, I reached out to everyone I could on LinkedIN to try to find someone who could help.

Fortunately, floship's Co-Founder responded, and has volunteered to help.  I explained how long these have been waiting (they were delivered to floship on December 11th, 48 days ago!), and the situation, and the number of folks who are waiting.

And today we got a response from him. Just like their support feedback to us, we'd like to share the message in its entirety.

And to be clear, floship is at least responding.  We can no longer get a response from BoxC, who is the logistics company floship chose to ship/deliver these European shipments.

---

Hi Brandon -

As a leader for your brand, I highly advise you to keep your backers' expectations in check due to the pandemic period and Brexit which just occurred on January 1st (right before we shipped your orders).

We've been involved with many crowdfunding campaigns (over 300 now) and it's important for your backers to understand that crowdfunding campaigns are not considered like regular eCommerce transactions. Your backers back you to make your dreams a reality and it takes time to deliver on your dream. With the pandemic, it's made the time / cost to deliver more challenging than ever, so it's important to keep your backer expectations in check. We understand the challenges that you are dealing with at the moment and while I normally don't get involved one-to-one on campaigns, it's at my attention and I'll be working with BoxC closely to provide you the answers you need.

Thanks,

Steve

---

So what I took from this message is that the problem is ours, that we set unreasonable expectations (and are continuing to do so).

I disagree with their Co-Founders assessment that telling our customers to have different expectations is the right approach.

Floship has now burned 48 days to get these packages to customers in Europe, and they're still not there.

Rest assured we will continue to push floship and BoxC to get the European shipments moving.

But we are just one voice!

If you are frustrated about how long it has taken to get these packages to you in Europe, please reach out to floship and BoxC directly (email, social, media, LinkedIN, etc.).

The right approach is for floship and BoxC to double their efforts and get these shipments delivered.  Let's all reach out to them and encourage them to do so!

I know they can do it, it's their core business.  Find them on LinkedIN, find their investors, find their board members.  Make this known!  And encourage them to get these shipments un-stuck!

Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience.  We own this mistake.  And we won't make it again.  From our analysis, floship seemed the most capable, promising turnkey and safe/fast delivery.  For more analysis on who we evaluated, see Update #50.

Thanks,

Brandon