Short Bytes: Openpilot is an open source platform created by Comma.ai to give autopilot capabilities to cars, namely 2016 Honda Civic and Acura ILX. Openpilot works with neo hardware kit powered by a One Plus 3 smartphone. The kit hangs beside the rear view mirror and camera is used to keep an eye on the road. It costs around $700 to build the kit. However, a startup named NeoDriven which sells pre-built neo kits.
What can do you do with $700, you can use it to give autopilot capabilities to your car. That’s what a college guy named Brevan Jorgenson did. Now, he drives a self-driving 2016 Honda Civic Touring.
Jorgenson used a software called Openpilot – an open source driving agent. Developed by San Francisco-based Comma.ai, the software is capable of performing functions like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS). It’s coupled with the hardware kit designed according to Comma’s Neo platform.
Also Read: First iPhone Hacker Open Sources Code And Hardware Of His Self-driving Car
The Neo hardware is powered by a One Plus 3 smartphone. The camera is used to analyze the road and traffic nearby. Earlier, Comma.ai was working on a $999 self-driving kit, but they had to halt their operations after the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority Administration questioned about the system’s capabilities. They open sourced the hardware design along with the software.
Openpilot currently works with Honda Civic 2016 and Acura ILX 2016. In the case of Jorgenson, he built the kit himself after taking clues from the open sourced stuff. Another startup named Neodriven is selling pre-built Neo kits for $999. But the company says, the kit is hardware only. The buyer would have to put the software himself and get things working.
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