Khronos Unveils Kamaros as the name for the Embedded Camera System API and Working Group
Khronos has officially adopted ‘Kamaros’ (pronounced Kam-ă-ross) as the name for the Embedded Camera System API and the associated working group. Jointly promoted by Khronos and the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA), the Kamaros™ API Working Group is developing an open, royalty-free standard for controlling camera system runtimes in embedded, mobile, industrial, XR, automotive, and scientific markets.
Work on the Kamaros API specification started in March 2022. This effort builds on an extensive exploratory process that involved over seventy companies working together from March to December 2021 to forge a strong industry consensus on the need, terminology, scope, requirements, and design methodology for a new open standard camera system API. The resulting Camera System API Scope of Work document is now being used to guide the direction of the Kamaros Working Group and API specification.
In addition to a new name and logo, the Kamaros Working Group is making significant progress towards creating an API specification by refining the Scope of Work to include specific features:
Loadable Layers: Following in the direction of other Khronos standards such as OpenXR™ and Vulkan®, Kamaros plans to include a command dispatch system to enable developers to use installable layers for validation, profiling, and debugging, etc.
Multiple Language Bindings: Kamaros will define an object-oriented API enabling efficient bindings to C, C++, Python, and other programming languages. The working group has made the API OS-agnostic, including support for minimal embedded OS.
Typical Kamaros Software Stack:
The Working Group is currently defining a flexible, elegant API for the control of camera functionality including advanced use cases such as multiple cameras and sensors while continuing to engage with embedded camera manufacturers to ensure requirements are aligned.
Get Involved and Help Shape the Kamaros API
Any organization is welcome to join Khronos to participate in this global initiative, and other Khronos working groups. Participation can put your organization at the forefront of the development of the Kamaros standard and is expected to be of particular interest to sensor or camera manufacturers, silicon vendors, embedded and mobile platform vendors, and software developers working on vision and sensor processing.
Find out more at: https://www.khronos.org/kamaros.