### How to Load a Model and Run Inference on Raspberry Pi 5 Using Python?

General
,
1

I’ve been struggling to load a model on a Raspberry Pi 5 using Hailo’s SDK. I spent two hours trying to figure it out but still couldn’t get it to work. Here’s an example of the code I tried:

import hailo

hef_path = 'yolov11n_h8l.hef'
hef = hailo.Hef(hef_path)  # ← This doesn’t work

Unfortunately, this simple approach didn’t work, and I couldn’t find clear documentation or examples.

What I Expect:

We should be able to load and run a model with minimal code. For example, something like this:

# Import libraries
from hailo_platform import HEFModel
import cv2
import numpy as np

# Initialize Hailo device and load model
model = HEFModel("path_to_your_model.hef")

# Capture from camera (if using camera)
cap = cv2.VideoCapture(0)

while True:
    # Get frame from camera
    ret, frame = cap.read()
    if not ret:
        break
        
    # Preprocess image (resize to model's input dimensions)
    input_data = preprocess_image(frame)
    
    # Run inference
    results = model.infer(input_data)
    
    # Process results (depends on model type)
    processed_results = process_results(results)
    
    # Display or use the results
    display_results(frame, processed_results)
    
    if cv2.waitKey(1) == ord('q'):
        break

cap.release()
cv2.destroyAllWindows()

My Problem:

I can’t seem to find a straightforward way to load a model and run inference using Python on the Raspberry Pi 5. The documentation is unclear, and most examples are either incomplete or overly complex.

Can someone please explain in simple terms how to:

  1. Load a .hef model file.
  2. Run inference on an input (e.g., an image or video frame).
  3. Process and display the results.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

1 Like
2

Hi @Pi_Web
We developed a python package called PySDK that provides such functionality: Simplifying Edge AI Development with DeGirum PySDK and Hailo. You can take a look and see if it helps. We have a bunch of usage examples at: DeGirum/hailo_examples: DeGirum PySDK with Hailo AI Accelerators

1 Like
4

Thanks Shashi! PySDK is great and easy to use. I made a repository that uses a Raspberry Pi 5 and runs a Hailo model using the DeGirum SDK, then sets up a FastAPI server to stream the inference result to a simple HTML page. Still in development — I try to document it as best I can so anyone can use it. Thanks again! raspberry_PI5_hailo

5

Hi @Pi_Web
Thanks for sharing this. It looks very good. Please let us know if you need any further help.