Having previously taken on corporate heavyweights like Apple and Sony, hacker-turned-startup founder George Hotz is getting ready to get into the ring with another tech giant: Tesla.
Hotz, who gained fame for unlocking security features on the iPhone and Playstation 3, just announced his self-driving car startup Comma.ai will be bringing an add-on device that gives cars semi-autonomous abilities on par with Tesla’s Autopilot to market by the end of the year.
Priced at just $999, the Comma One pairs radar and a camera with electronic power steering to allow a driver to get to their destination without touching the steering wheel, brakes or gas.
Using the after-market device requires a $24 monthly subscription fee to Comma.ai’s software, and it is only compatible with a small group of vehicles at this time. But the upcoming release of the Comma One is certainly a step in the right direction towards Hotz’s goal of providing “ghost riding for the masses.”
It’s also a viable alternative for anyone who would rather convert their trusty old Honda Civic into a self-driving vehicle rather than shelling out cash for a new Tesla Model S. “If they are the iOS of self-driving cars, we want to be Android,” Hotz said, according to TechCrunch.
Details about the Comma One — including whether it has a headphone jack — will be released soon.
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