Hack your car with OpenXC
Ford and Bug Labs announced today they are creating a platform that will encourage users to modify computers in the automaker’s future cars, bringing together the creativity of computer hackers and car tinkerers.
The companies are launching an open-source in-car research and development platform called OpenXC. The platform is based on Bug Labs’ open-source Bug System. Ford and Bug Labs made the announcement at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2011 conference in San Francisco.
“You can use this to create your own personalized driving experience,” said Pete Semmelhack, chief executive of Bug Labs, an open source hardware and software firm founded in 2006. Bug Labs makes the tools and support needed to prototype, pilot and produce networked devices. The platform will allow developers to quickly prototype ideas and test out affordable new connectivity ideas. One of the ideas is a fuel economy monitor, which Semmelhack is holding in the picture above.
