Build Your Own Self-Driving Development Vehicle for Under $1,000

PolySync’s Open Source Car Control Project (OSCC) enables engineers to build their own self-driving vehicle using existing by-wire technologies on the 2014-or-later Kia Soul. Meant to serve as a first step towards creating a more open automotive industry, OSCC is a complete, open-source kit for autonomous car development.

While the cost of comparable hardware and software can be upwards of $100,000 and is limited to closed, proprietary systems, PolySync has launched a GitHub repo and can be integrated into a new or used vehicle for less than $1,000.

By lowering the barrier of entry we’re enabling developers to safely capture data and test models at a scale that just wasn’t possible a year ago. For the cost of a typical development vehicle today, engineers can be working on 10 OSCC-enabled vehicles tomorrow.

The system lets developers to connect the Arduino-based OSCC modules, along with their own hardware and software, to the vehicle’s internal control systems, including the Controller Area Network (CAN). This allows communication to the steering and throttle controls, using either the PolySync Core platform or other software. Braking is enabled with the addition of a commonly-available, repurposed automotive brake-by-wire module.

PolySync will make a limited number of OSCC hardware kits and pre-orders will be available on GitHub. The OSCC kit is intended for R&D and off-road use only.