Bengaluru Man Makes Alto 800 Drive Itself with Old Redmi Phone

thebharatbuzz.com

9 months ago

Bengaluru Man Makes Alto 800 Drive Itself: Mankaran Singh, the founder of FlowDrive.ai, achieved an impressive milestone by transforming a Maruti Alto K10 into an autonomous vehicle using a second-hand Redmi Note 9 Pro smartphone. This groundbreaking approach challenges the notion that self-driving technology is exclusive to high-end cars requiring substantial investments. A viral video on social media captured the Alto 800 navigating a busy highway, steering itself without human touch. Mankaran Singh’s ingenuity has brought self-driving capabilities to the humble Alto, marking a noteworthy accomplishment in automotive technology.

My second hand redmi note 9 pro running flowpilot is driving my alto k10 😂Can it get more desi than this ?#flowpilot #openpilot #ai #robotics #autonomous #cars #Android pic.twitter.com/eQa3zHSbFA
— mansin (@Mankaran32) May 14, 2023

Flowpilot: Your Car’s Smart Sidekick for Easy Driving

Flowpilot, created by Mankaran Singh, is a version of Comma.ai’s OpenPilot. It works with Windows/Linux and Android devices. Singh used Comma.ai’s learning models, saving the time and money usually needed to train independent driving systems.

Inspiration from Comma.ai to make alto 800 drive itself and Flowpilot’s Features.

Mankaran Singh, inspired by George Hotz of Comma.ai, created Flowpilot to make cars smart. It works like Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Centering, Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, and Driver Monitoring for many car models. Singh, a programmer from Bengaluru, is not only passionate about this project but also contributes to Flow Drive and works with Ola.

How Flowpilot Works? Your Phone Matters

For good performance, Flowpilot works well with a decent phone—no need for the latest and greatest. It supports 200+ car models, but in India, you might need a bit of creativity to make it work with some cars. Still, many in India love Flowpilot because it works better than the regular car systems you get out of the box.

Distinguishing Features and Focus on Highway Automation

This homegrown innovation stands out by providing a simple and effective solution for autonomous highway driving. Unlike the complex neural networks and extensive camera setups employed by some other systems, Flowpilot focuses on efficiency with a minimal camera setup and additional sensors. This achievement aligns with the growing trend of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), making highway automation accessible and practical. Singh’s ingenuity has not only propelled the Alto 800 into the realm of self-driving but also showcases the potential for innovative solutions in the world of autonomous vehicles.

Safety Features and Limitations of Flowpilot

Flowpilot prioritizes safety features like automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring, showcasing its ability to outperform human processing rates. However, limitations arise on Indian roads due to factors such as low-light conditions, shadows, and unpredictable obstacles.

Future of Autonomous Driving and Deployment

As technology gets better, we might see self-driving cars in places like college campuses and tech parks soon. But for now, systems like Flowpilot, which acts like a kind of autopilot for cars, will probably be used more on big groups of vehicles that drive outside busy city areas. So, while we wait for self-driving cars everywhere, Flowpilot and similar systems could be taking care of things outside the city limits.

Keep driving into the future with Flowpilot! Explore more on autonomous innovation at TheBharatBuzz. Keep reading, keep exploring!