Remembering Brandon Gilles Founder of Luxonis

Living with Long Covid documentation for others, and a charity drive

Brandon Gilles, robotics vision pioneer and founder of Luxonis, the company behind the OAK cameras, OAK modules, and The Robot Hub, recently passed away from Long Covid complications. He documented the illness and recovery pathways here for anyone else in the same situation: https://t.co/A8Xejlv46l

To remember his work in spatial AI and robotic vision, I’ve included an interview and the following video with Brandon from 2020 during the OpenCV AI Kit kickstarter.

This is Briana, Brandon’s wife. It is with a shocked and shattered heart, I have the massively sorrowful news to share that Brandon passed away earlier this week.

As many of you know, he had been battling an incredibly difficult illness over the past year. We almost lost him, many times… but he just kept going. This man, my husband, my children’s father, worked harder than anyone I know would have, or could have to try and save his own life.

We thought his body had turned a corner, and we thought death was finally off the table. I guess it never really is. Know that when he left this physical world he had been in a place of joy for so many months now. He had worked his body back to such a better spot. He was living life and enjoying it again. He got to remember truly who he was. Not sick Brandon, but just… Brandon.

The kids and I got to spend two solid weeks with him last month and it was glorious. We filled the days with all the normal Papa things. Skateboarding, playing backyard soccer with our son, reading books and snuggling with our daughter, bubbles, bike rides, wrestles, holding my hand as we walked the beach. It was the best, and all four of us needed that so desperately. His death came a massive shock and it will take a long time to process that he is actually gone. I and our kids will miss him beyond words. And I know many of you will as well. With love, Briana

Lee Jackson, the Founder and Technical Lead of Arducam also shared his tribute and a way to give back to Brandon’s family, Briana and their children.

Brandon Gilles was a talented, passionate, and devoted engineer who dedicated his life to using technology and innovation to improve people's lives.
 
As the founder of Luxonis, his initial dream was to design an AI-powered product that would help bike enthusiasts avoid accidents on the road. He wanted to combine deep vision and neural network inference on a small embedded platform, enabling his device to perceive and understand the world like a human in real time. He then built a high-performance depth + AI inference product-OAK-D, using MyriadX chips, and made its software and hardware open-source, creating a community of development enthusiasts and making significant contributions to computer vision.
 
Currently, Luxonis, under his leadership, produces a series of products centered around OAK-D, which have been widely adopted not only in cycling but also in many other fields, including industry, agriculture, healthcare, security systems, and robot autonomous navigation. His dream has truly changed the lives of many people.
 
However, in 2022, his health dramatically started to decline. He was diagnosed with Long - COVID / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. He ultimately passed away in July 2023. During his struggle with the disease, he used his exceptional research spirit and learning talent to research and find treatment methods for himself and others. He selflessly shared hundreds of pages of treatment methods with all long-term COVID-19 patients.
 
This family is currently facing unprecedented difficulties.
 
Brandon Gilles was a very caring and dedicated person who used his technology and innovation to change many people's lives. Now we have the opportunity to repay his contributions and send them warmth and love. As a close friend and partner of Brandon Gilles, I would like to launch a penny counts charity donation campaign to help him and his family through this difficult time.
 
We believe that every donation will bring hope and change to them. Let us work together to make a difference in their lives.
 
Should they eventually not need these funds, Briana would like to roll them into a charity or foundation of some kind, in his honor, to help others facing such tragic illness.
 
The recipient of the donation will be Brandon's wife, Briana, their four-year-old son, and their two-year-old daughter.
 
If interested please make your donation to either of the following accounts

Account1
WISE
Please click this WISE link to go on:
https://lnkd.in/eA-VcUNh
 
WISE:
Account holder
Briana Gilles
Account number
822000730870
Wire routing number
026073150
Bank code (SWIFT/BIC)
CMFGUS33
Address
Wise US Inc
30 W. 26th Street, Sixth Floor New York
10010
United States
 
 
Account2
Venmo account @Briana-Gilles