# Edge AI for research teams and labs

NEPI gives researchers a ready-made platform for sensor integration, AI-driven data collection, and autonomous field operations - so your team spends time on research, not infrastructure.

### Rapid prototyping

Go from concept to field-ready prototype in days. NEPI provides 90% of the software your smart system needs out of the box, including drivers, AI management, and data collection.

### Repeatable data collection

NEPI's structured data collection and synchronization tools ensure consistent, high-quality datasets across deployments and field campaigns.

### Open and extensible

Built on ROS and ROS 2 with full source code access. Integrate your own models, algorithms, and custom workflows without vendor lock-in.

## Research teams using NEPI

See how research groups deploy NEPI for autonomous maritime, environmental, and defense applications.

### University of Washington Tacoma - Autonomous Ferry

A student-led team used NEPI on NVIDIA Jetson hardware to develop an autonomous ferry prototype with AI-based buoy detection and autonomous docking capabilities, funded by the WA Department of Transportation.

[Read case study](https://www.nepi.com/case-studies/uw-tacoma/)

### Ocean Aero - Maritime Threat Detection

Ocean Aero integrated NEPI into their autonomous surface vehicles for 360-degree AI-driven maritime threat detection. Within six months, the team had five cameras connected to onboard AI models running at the edge.

[Read case study](https://www.nepi.com/case-studies/ocean-aero/)

## Get NEPI running in your lab

Download the NEPI container to try and start integrating sensors and AI into your research workflow.

[Get started](https://www.nepi.com/software/) [Talk to our team](https://www.nepi.com/contact/)