I just heard about Neodriven and it looks like they are taking off exactly where Comma.ai left off. They are using the comma open source software and providing hardware that will allow compatible vehicles to become self driving. They claim the installation only takes 5 minutes by replacing the rear view mirror and connecting one plug.
Interestingly, the price was listed as $1499 or 1 bitcoin yesterday (bitcoin value around $1150) but today the price is down to $999.
I’ll have to do some more digging around, but at this point I could only find a little information about the company. The only employee I could find does not look to be a tech person.
They’ve been adding more information on the neodriven.com website, including a video:
Things I find interesting are how multiple times Matt Schulwitz (the “leader” of neodriven) that they are purely a hardware company and that they do not have any intention of shipping the device with the self-driving software (openpilot). It seems clear to me that they are trying to avoid regulatory issues as much as possible. I’m curious if they have sold any of these. $1000 is still a lot of money for something that is experimental and relies on open source software.
To me, it is remarkable what George Hotz has managed to create. In my mind, that is the more interesting story at this point – that someone was able to figure out how to essentially “hack” a car and create a device that would give it basic autopilot abilities. I’m very curious to see what comma.ai will be doing going forward.