SparkFun Edge Development Board

Apollo3 Blue - SparkFun Electronics

Edge computing is here! You've probably heard of this latest entry to the long lineage of tech buzzwords like "IoT," "LoRa," and "cloud" before it, but what is “the edge” and why does it matter? The cloud is impressively powerful but all-the-time connection requires power and connectivity that may not be available. Edge computing handles discrete tasks such as determining if someone said "yes" and responds accordingly. The audio analysis is done at the edge rather than on the web. This dramatically reduces costs and complexity while limiting potential data privacy leaks.