Archive
Man Builds His Own Self-Driving Car by Hacking Acura
Source: Jennifer van der Kleut
Report
George Hotz has made quite a name for himself as a hacker.
The 26-year-old San Franciscan was the first to hack the iPhone - when he was just 17 years old - so that it could be used with a network other than AT&T’s, garnering him international publicity. As Bloomberg reports, he then drew attention for hacking into the Sony Playstation 3, known for having tough defenses.
Now, he’s making headlines for reportedly hacking an Acura, and turning it into a self-driving car of his own creation.
Bloomberg reports he outfitted his 2016 Acura ILX with a lidar system on the roof, a camera attached to the rearview mirror, and a small computer screen operated with a wireless keyboard.
A Bloomberg reporter took one of the first rides in Hotz’s car along the Bay Area’s Highway 280, describing how pixelated images of the road and environment around them appeared on the computer screen as they traveled, and how the car corrected itself when it got too close to other cars.
Topics
Related in the archive
- News Roundup: Autonomous Tricycle Testing Underway, Apple Reportedly Ditching Plans for Electric Self-Driving Car, and More
- Tesla Sends Driverless Stock Index Higher
- Automakers: You Wouldn't Want to Rent an iPhone, So You Probably Won't Want to Hire an Autonomous Car, Either
- Ford Takes On Mcity With Driverless Fusion Hybrid
- Ford's Autonomous Cars Show They Can Navigate in Complete Darkness