How can I interface an AI camera module with Arduino?

AI camera modules like ESP32-CAM, HuskyLens, and OpenMV have their own onboard processors that handle heavy tasks such as face recognition, object tracking, and color detection. An Arduino Uno or Nano doesn’t have the processing power or memory to run AI algorithms directly, so in this setup the Arduino mainly acts as a controller. The AI module does the image processing and then sends results (for example, "face detected" or "object at X,Y") to the Arduino.

For interfacing, most of these modules support UART (serial) as the primary method of communication, and some also support I2C or SPI depending on the module. UART is the simplest and most commonly used for sending recognition results to Arduino.

The main limitation of using Arduino with these AI modules is that Arduino can’t handle raw image data or complex computations—it can only receive processed results and take actions (like moving a motor, turning on LEDs, etc.).

If you need to do more advanced data handling, real-time image streaming, or run multiple AI tasks at once, boards like ESP32 or Raspberry Pi are better suited because they have more processing power and memory.

Arduino Uno and Nano primarily function as control interfaces rather than image processors when working with AI camera modules.

These boards have extremely limited resources (2KB RAM on Uno, 32KB flash memory) which makes it impossible to store even a single 320x240 pixel image, let alone process it. Instead, AI modules like HuskyLens, OpenMV, or ESP32-CAM contain dedicated processors (like STM32H7 in OpenMV or ESP32 in ESP32-CAM) that handle all the computationally intensive tasks internally.

These modules run neural networks, perform image processing, and extract features, then send only the interpreted results to Arduino - such as "face ID:1 detected at position (150, 120)" or "red line detected at angle 45°".

The Arduino then uses these simplified data packets to make decisions, like turning a servo to track the face or adjusting motor speed to follow a line.