Open Pilot

unkel

Remember the guy who managed to hack the iPhone? He was just 17 at the time. He is the founder and CEO of comma.ai, the artificial intelligence company behind Open Pilot, open source self driving software.

It has come on a lot over the last few years. It works easiest and best integrated with cars that already have LKAS (lane keep assist system) and ACC (active / adaptive cruise control) and then adds features like hands-off driving without nagging, auto lane change and full stop start, and even braking before bends, that most cars don't have. Price USD1199 for the comma 2 hardware and the software is free with free updates. Hardware install is completely DIY and takes just a few minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJzvrDBQwOE

Interestingly, there are also solutions for some cars that do not have LKAS. Or ACC. Like the pre-AutoPilot Tesla Model S.

Here is Here is Bjørn Nyland in his friend's car who has a bit of a crude / DIY version of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1KbGkxK0xQ

graememk

Interesting! I always wondered what the car "sees"

unkel

graememk wrote: »

Interesting! I always wondered what the car "sees"

This is it, the software is built around the concept of computer vision (through machine learning). It uses the camera from the comma device and the radar from your car (if it has one)

I think I might have posted this before on this forum, but here is a most interesting interview of above George Hotz (hacker nickname: geohot, the guy who hacked the iPhone as I mentioned above) by Lex Fridman of MIT (a specialist in AI and self driving). A must see for anyone interested in this field

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwcYp-XT7UI

In the case of the pre-autopilot Model S, you can buy the Tesla radar (made by Bosch) for a few hundred quid, and just plug it into the comma hardware. The one major limitation for this setup is that the electronics don't control the friction braking, so the system can only use regen braking for the radar / video based active cruise control and collision warning. You could even root the Tesla to make the system completely integrate with the car's menu. A regularly updating and better version than Tesla's own Autopilot 1 (which will no longer be improved on)

n97 mini

Had a look at it a year ago or more. My issue is I wouldn't fully trust any sort of autopilot, and I'm not sure how useful it'd be if you still have to stay fully alert. If I don't want to drive I'll get the train. I can have a beer while doing it too!

unkel

It's years away from anyone being able to trust it at level 4 or even 5 autonomous driving. It is still just level 2. Driver needs to be in full control all the time.

That said, a reliable level 2 system is already far safer than a human driver though. No new car will ever get a 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating any more without having level 2. When Autopilot was still an optional extra on Teslas (it is standard across the range now), if you bought it, you got a lower insurance quote.

graememk

When digging around youtube for frunks and gas struts for the eniro, came across this,

Someone has added it to the E niro, I dont think i'll ever do it as i do very little motorway driving. But interesting none the less.

That's great, if it's that simple you'd think Kia would do this ?

I can only imagine what your insurance company would say.

unkel

It's gaining a lot of momentum in the USA, very popular over there in newish cars from the likes of Honda / Toyota / Hyundai / Kia which all seem to have a basic LKAS system as standard

OP is rather excellent when it comes to steering, even when there are no road markings (this is where the Tesla AutoPilot system is poor)

Deleted User wrote: »

That's great, if it's that simple you'd think Kia would do this ?

What makes you think it is simple? It's one of the most complex areas mankind has ever worked on.

unkel

unkel wrote: »

It's gaining a lot of momentum in the USA, very popular over there in newish cars from the likes of Honda / Toyota / Hyundai / Kia which all seem to have a basic LKAS system as standard

OP is rather excellent when it comes to steering, even when there are no road markings (this is where the Tesla AutoPilot system is poor)



What makes you think it is simple? It's one of the most complex areas mankind has ever worked on.

I'm sure Kia could do this but just fear the consequences if something should go wrong.

The game changer will be when this tech goes to the cloud and 5G, simple computer in the car and the cloud does all the number crunching, I know Microsoft's Azure platform will be doing this in the near future, perhaps Tesla will build their own Data Centres but I don't think this tech can get much better without the cloud.

Kramer

unkel wrote: »

What makes you think it is simple?

It's only using a cheap mobile phone camera/processor? It can't be too taxing then .

It's one of the most complex areas mankind humankind has ever worked on.

Fixed that for you - have to get the terminology right :P.

unkel

Kramer wrote: »

It's only using a cheap mobile phone camera/processor? It can't be too taxing then .

You need to do a bit of reading up

Not quite a mobile phone at this stage, things have been progressing. The latest version (that I am waiting on) is using the Nvidia Jetson TX2, a highly sophisticated AI computer vision device (very similar to what's in a 2020 Tesla)

And things are relative anyway. There was more computing power in the iPhone 1 (an extremely dumb device by todays standards) than in Apollo 11 that put a man on the moon. And no, not human or woman. Man. :pac:

Kramer

unkel wrote: »

The latest version (that I am waiting on) is using the Nvidia Jetson TX2, a highly sophisticated AI computer vision device

That's the HAL9000 then, that was around in the 60s .

unkel wrote: »

And no, not human or woman. Man. :pac:

But Justin said it's humankind :P.

Regardless, I'd be wary of open source software having control of my car's steering & brakes :eek:.

unkel

The development of the new OP hardware kit for Tesla (similar to Tesla AP3) is slow, and it looks like the full suite is going to cost the guts of $2k. Too rich and too slow for me.

I've just done a deal on a complete kit of the older hardware, should be shipped out to me tomorrow. Quite excited! Total cost €380 including shipping. Hope it will not be caught at customs or I will have to pay 21% VAT on it too seeing as it is coming from the USA.

Kit is video only, so limited in what it can do, no radar so the distance measurement is limited. And no control over the brake pedal, so braking it can control is regen only. No good for emergency braking. That said, I can later add on Tesla radar and pedal, they just click into the kit I purchased, to make it comparable with AP1 (but in many ways better overall)

And of course OP has driver monitoring, so you can take your hands off the steering wheel and there will be no nagging like the very annoying Tesla AP nagging

unkel

Zac and Jesse interview George Hotz

Must view for anyone interest in the developments of AI and autonomous driving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCyFhP3YdeE