Brevan Jorgenson, a senior college student at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, was able to transform his Honda Civic into a self-driving car for only $700.
The feat was made possible due to Comma.ai, a self-driving technology startup that was drowned in controversy late last year.
The Story Of Comma.ai And Comma One
Comma.ai was founded by George Hotz, the iPhone jailbreak pioneer who promised to release self-driving car technology to consumers for less than $1,000. Hotz delivered on that promise, with the self-driving car kit named the Comma One unveiled in September 2016 and promised to be ready by the end of last year. The kit aims to transform any car into a self-driving vehicle, but upon its announcement, it was only compatible with a short list of models.
However, in October 2016, Hotz received a request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide a detailed description on how the Comma One will work due to concerns for the safety of customers and other road users. Unexpectedly, Hotz cancelled the Comma One but went on to open source the code and the research platform behind the self-driving car kit and released the plans for a hardware module to work with the technology, rebranding it into the Comma Neo.
How A College Student Ended Up With A Self-Driving Honda Civic
According to Jorgenson, the path that led to him having his own self-driving Honda Civic started when he signed up to become an early beta tester for Comma.ai. As a tester, he only needed to download the beta Android app of the startup, named Chffr, and allow it to record his driving while his smartphone was attached to his vehicle through a suction mount.
Jorgenson then received a promotion in his job, which bumped up his income enough to afford a new car. He decided to purchase a 2016 Honda Civic Touring in March 2016, and when Hotz announced the Comma One in September 2016, it was by sheer coincidence that his vehicle was one of the few models compatible with the self-driving car kit.
After NHTSA's request moved Hotz to cancel the Comma One and open source its code, Jorgensen immediately ordered the parts needed to create his own Comma Neo self-driving car kit. Once his project was completed, he ended up with a OnePlus 3 smartphone powered by the Openpilot code of Comma.ai, a circuit board, and a 3D-printed case to hold everything together.
The entire project cost him only $700, $300 less than the planned selling price for the Comma One. The device is placed on the rear-view mirror of Jorgenson's Honda Civic, and it is capable of controlling the vehicle's brakes, steering, and accelerators. It also utilizes a camera to identify road markings and the other vehicles.
Jorgenson has tested his $700 device extensively on the open road and is now planning to use his self-driving Honda Civic to take him from Omaha to Denver, a 7.5-hour trip, to visit his girlfriend next month.
Jorgenson's girlfriend is not yet convinced that the technology is safe and is worried that it would cause the car to crash. However, if Jorgenson's version of the Comma Neo proves itself, it can usher in renewed interest in self-made self-driving car kits.
