Famous or being the first hacker to jailbreak the iPhone at 17, tech-genius George Hotz is taking on Waymo, Tesla, and Uber in the race to build the first fully operational self-driving car. He harnesses the systems already installed in modern cars and, relatively cheaply, modifies the car to become self driving.
George Hotz’s, aka geohot of Comma.ai, latest product is an $88 universal car interface called Panda.
Panda is the first piece of hardware Hotz since he canceled his self-driving car kit, the Comma One last year. This decision was made when the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) went after him for non-compliance with government regulations. Hotz then decided to open-source the plans, enabling anyone who wanted to build it for free.
I’m not sure how well it would work in real life situations but it looks cool in this video. And unlike many, I long for the day when I can get in my car and use the traveling time to read or write. Especially as I get older and my eyesight and reactions deteriorate.