7 ms·

Using Google Assistant with AutoPi to enable voice control of a car

69 points by MurdocTannen 9y ago

Severian 9y ago
Heh, it would be cool to script it so that if it detects someone talking for a minute or two with the window down, then accelerates quickly away, it loudly plays the Knight Rider commercial break theme music. Best example I could find is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTcvE5ptk6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTcvE5ptk6Q
3chelon 9y ago
The heavyweights are already there... http://www.techradar.com/news/you-can-now-get-amazons-alexa-in-your-car http://www.techradar.com/news/you-can-now-get-amazons-alexa-...
- ChicagoBoy11 9y ago
  This is not equivalent. The key distinction in the device from OP's post is that it actually connects to the OBD port in your car, giving you a direct connection the cars systems. The one you linked does not seem to do that at all.
  - laumars 9y ago
    Indeed but one has to question whether you actually want that level of control exposed given the dangers it presents. There's a lot to be said for air gapping critical systems.
    - ChicagoBoy11 9y ago
      Given how the most sought-after car today literally receives driving instructions through an OTA update, I've got a feeling we've all collectively decided we're ok with the dangers this brings, even if we didn't actually take part in that discussion :-/
      - laumars 9y ago
        Driving instructions via OTA are fine as long as your in car entertainment system is separate from the cars engine control et al. Which is the air gapped point I was making. Some cars are built this way too, thankfully.
  - aquark 9y ago
    Anyone know how Android Auto (and Car Play) compare to the functionality exposed through the OBD port? I have Android Auto and love it for navigation/music, but it is missing any car specific controls, eg. climate controls, reporting speed, maintenance, etc. I have to exit out of Android Auto and into Sync to access some specific functionality only available through the Sync touchscreen. Is this just a case of the manufacturer needing to provide the right app, or is that information not available to third party apps running in those environments?
    - jstandard 9y ago
      They sandbox many of the different systems. Carmakers won't cede deeper control to Android Auto or Carplay because they want to hold on to being the main user interface. There's also safety, security, and data-sharing issues at play.
      - aquark 9y ago
        Fair enough, I would be OK with having to run a Ford app through Android Auto to access that functionality on a Ford. I just want the best of both worlds .. trying to hold onto being the main user interface feels short sighted. I'm not going to NOT buy your vehicle because I can use Android Auto vs your custom UI, so having both available shouldn't be a negative to the manufacturer.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
daveguy 9y ago
Cool, and no offense, but let me know when a third party reviews it. Voice recognition and personal assistants are annoying enough in a quiet house (but arguably useful). I would be surprised if it is useful yet in a noisy moving car.
- melling 9y ago
  I've seen people use Google Voice in a loud bar. It seemed to be effective. I can't get Siri to work under those conditions, however. The noise should be a solvable problem.
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    Yeah, Google's voice recognition has worked for me everywhere, even loud clubs. It's quite magical. I'm sure it would work in the car. Now, whether I would trust Google with that data is a different question. (Spoiler: no.)
    - jstandard 9y ago
      Inside the car is a bit of a different since the device won't be handheld and you may not even be directing your voice toward the microphone. If you have a phone with a high-quality mic, mount it in the right spot, and speak loudly, it can usually get the job done though. Performance in general has gotten a lot better in recent years, though it's tough to call it a "solved problem".
  - daveguy 9y ago
    It should be, but I'm definitely not preordering a product like that without a third party demo.
  - spike021 9y ago
    I've used Siri just fine to set timers and create reminders while a TV is blaring with announcers commentating sports live. Probably depends on some environments.
  - tedmiston 9y ago
tylergetsay 9y ago
How do you control windows over OBD2? I've never seen any universal car control over OBD2, only specific model/ECU tuning.
- jeron 9y ago
  this was my question as well, like other people have pointed out OBD2 can get you diagnostic information but cannot actually control movement of vehicle or other parts on the car
  - foobard 9y ago
    (Some?) modern cars expose a CAN bus via the OBD port. There typically are pins that adhere to the OBD2 spec as well as additional pins for the CAN bus. On my car (Mk6 VW) there are multiple CAN buses which are separated by a gateway device. A device plugged into the OBD port has to negotiate with the gateway in order to access the other buses, but once it has done so can control the windows, lighting, instrument cluster, etc.
laumars 9y ago
This looks an amazing project however I am very concerned about just how secure it is. Anyone remember the vulnerability disclosures of the existing in car systems and their ability for remote exploit resulting in a malicious party having control over things as essential as the cars velocity? AutoPi, while undoubtedly cool, definitely feels like quite an exploitable attack vector if not very carefully engineered. So I'd personally wait for an independent audit before buying this product.
geniium 9y ago
Just a question of time until you can say "Hey Kitt, come to me!"
- LordKano 9y ago
  All I really want is Turbo Boost.
carlmcqueen 9y ago
I was actually hoping this was more a hardware sale only where they give us something like Automatic* that we can tweak ourselves. [*] https://www.automatic.com/ https://www.automatic.com/
- mccrack 9y ago
  What do you mean? It's a Raspberry Pi running Linux, you can tweak it as much as you like: https://www.autopi.io/hardware-dongle https://www.autopi.io/hardware-dongle
Jaepa 9y ago
First off this looks cool. But these 4G connected smart ODB dongles scare the crap out of me. You are giving an IOT device the ability to disable breaks, the transmission, and lock you inside. I'm not really worried about a Maximum Overdrive type situation, giving this much control to a category of devices that was able to take down Dyn because so many of these devices used a subset of 60 common factory default usernames and passwords. I think there is a good use case for these type of devices, but I think ODB, isn't the right mechanism for it. But I don't know if there will be a new standard.
- joshuata 9y ago
  OBD2 is incapable of doing any of those things. It is a diagnostic interface to read out information about important systems. There is a standard set of data streams, and vendors add customizations on top. So any OBD2 scanner should work on any car, but it may not be able to parse/display non-standard data streams. There is some danger of control over the interface, but the interface does not specify any control operations beyond resetting diagnostic codes. The vulnerabilities in the interface stem from automakers repurposing the protocol, and are model/maker specific. It seems like another protocol would only help if it defined control mechanisms so that carmakers would stop abusing OBD2.
  - serf 9y ago
    >OBD2 is incapable of doing any of those things. This is false. OBD2 is utilized very differently by different manufacturers. I am capable of applying brakes through the ABS system, applying any given throttle percent, shifting the cars sequential manual gearbox, forced over-pressurization of the transmission hydraulic system (for pressure vessel testing and relief valve testing) , or reflashing ANY of the ECMs available to the CANBUS network via the normal OBD2 interface on my BMW E46 M3 using the (bootlegged) OEM Rheingold/INPA software. (Among many many other things) The ONLY ECM on the E46 M3 that is cordoned away from the OBD2/CANBUS interface is the SRS system (thankfully) This software is freely available on most public trackers. It's by no-means rare or uncommon. OBD2 is MUCH more capable than most are aware, especially on manufacturers like BMW or Audi that needed to shoehorn additional tech and diagnosis capabilities into the system. P.S. I know you mentioned that manufacturers make the interface unsafe; I just wanted to clarify to those reading that it is by no means uncommon for manufacturers to do so nowadays. A consumer should by no means make a judgement about the control of their car by thinking "OBD2 is incapable of doing any of those things." when that's demonstrably not the case for many modern cars.
benkarst 9y ago
When is AutoPi going to add the option to go keyless through facial, voice, optical, or fingerprint recognition? I guess Ford already patented something like this but it would be nice to have it open source too. http://www.biometricupdate.com/201502/ford-granted-patent-for-keyless-biometric-system-for-vehicles http://www.biometricupdate.com/201502/ford-granted-patent-fo...
blacksmith_tb 9y ago
It looks like a promising piece of hardware (though I am not sure if it's an RPi Zero they're adding BT and Wifi to, or actually an RPi Zero W - which would be easier, you'd think). My last two cars both put their OBD II ports exactly where my left leg is under the steering wheel, so I hope they ship it with a short right-angle extension cable (I use a much shorter BT dongle to connect to my phone current, it doesn't project too far).
Jun8 9y ago
I didn't see Dashbot (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/dashbot-a-49-robot-for-your-dashboard https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/dashbot-a-49...) mentioned here: it's pretty much the same thing but instead using Alexa and not using (potentially scary) OBD port connection. With Ford announcing Alexa integration coming this summer to SYNC3 (https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/01/04/alexa-car-ford-amazon-shop-search-home.html https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017...) it seems devices such as these will be more commonplace. Question to HN: What can Alexa/GA integration enable in a car other than the mundane music search, ask directions, etc. scenarios? How many of you would want to use it to send short messages (e.g. "Sorry!" after cutting someone off) to a small LED display mounted on your rear bumper?
pramodxyle 9y ago
Be it Google Assistant SDK or Amazon AVS, these SDKs are mainly used for voice services. If you add an additional layer on top to customize the wake word/initial trigger, won't these systems/setups be something like : Custom wake word processing Engine -> IFTTT Maker or Amazon skills -> Underlying subsystem that perform action -> IFTTT Maker or Amazon skills -> Custom wake word processing Engine == Custom wake word processing Engine -> Google Assistant SDK or Amazon AVS SDK -> Underlying subsystem that perform action -> Google Assistant SDK or Amazon AVS SDK -> Custom wake word processing Engine ?

69 points by MurdocTannen 9y ago

Heh, it would be cool to script it so that if it detects someone talking for a minute or two with the window down, then accelerates quickly away, it loudly plays the Knight Rider commercial break theme music. Best example I could find is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTcvE5ptk6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTcvE5ptk6Q

3chelon 9y ago

The heavyweights are already there... http://www.techradar.com/news/you-can-now-get-amazons-alexa-in-your-car http://www.techradar.com/news/you-can-now-get-amazons-alexa-...

ChicagoBoy11 9y ago
This is not equivalent. The key distinction in the device from OP's post is that it actually connects to the OBD port in your car, giving you a direct connection the cars systems. The one you linked does not seem to do that at all.
- laumars 9y ago
  Indeed but one has to question whether you actually want that level of control exposed given the dangers it presents. There's a lot to be said for air gapping critical systems.
  - ChicagoBoy11 9y ago
    Given how the most sought-after car today literally receives driving instructions through an OTA update, I've got a feeling we've all collectively decided we're ok with the dangers this brings, even if we didn't actually take part in that discussion :-/
    - laumars 9y ago
      Driving instructions via OTA are fine as long as your in car entertainment system is separate from the cars engine control et al. Which is the air gapped point I was making. Some cars are built this way too, thankfully.
- aquark 9y ago
  Anyone know how Android Auto (and Car Play) compare to the functionality exposed through the OBD port? I have Android Auto and love it for navigation/music, but it is missing any car specific controls, eg. climate controls, reporting speed, maintenance, etc. I have to exit out of Android Auto and into Sync to access some specific functionality only available through the Sync touchscreen. Is this just a case of the manufacturer needing to provide the right app, or is that information not available to third party apps running in those environments?
  - jstandard 9y ago
    They sandbox many of the different systems. Carmakers won't cede deeper control to Android Auto or Carplay because they want to hold on to being the main user interface. There's also safety, security, and data-sharing issues at play.
    - aquark 9y ago
      Fair enough, I would be OK with having to run a Ford app through Android Auto to access that functionality on a Ford. I just want the best of both worlds .. trying to hold onto being the main user interface feels short sighted. I'm not going to NOT buy your vehicle because I can use Android Auto vs your custom UI, so having both available shouldn't be a negative to the manufacturer.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

daveguy 9y ago

Cool, and no offense, but let me know when a third party reviews it. Voice recognition and personal assistants are annoying enough in a quiet house (but arguably useful). I would be surprised if it is useful yet in a noisy moving car.

melling 9y ago
I've seen people use Google Voice in a loud bar. It seemed to be effective. I can't get Siri to work under those conditions, however. The noise should be a solvable problem.
- StavrosK 9y ago
  Yeah, Google's voice recognition has worked for me everywhere, even loud clubs. It's quite magical. I'm sure it would work in the car. Now, whether I would trust Google with that data is a different question. (Spoiler: no.)
  - jstandard 9y ago
    Inside the car is a bit of a different since the device won't be handheld and you may not even be directing your voice toward the microphone. If you have a phone with a high-quality mic, mount it in the right spot, and speak loudly, it can usually get the job done though. Performance in general has gotten a lot better in recent years, though it's tough to call it a "solved problem".
- daveguy 9y ago
  It should be, but I'm definitely not preordering a product like that without a third party demo.
- spike021 9y ago
  I've used Siri just fine to set timers and create reminders while a TV is blaring with announcers commentating sports live. Probably depends on some environments.
- tedmiston 9y ago

tylergetsay 9y ago

How do you control windows over OBD2? I've never seen any universal car control over OBD2, only specific model/ECU tuning.

jeron 9y ago
this was my question as well, like other people have pointed out OBD2 can get you diagnostic information but cannot actually control movement of vehicle or other parts on the car
- foobard 9y ago
  (Some?) modern cars expose a CAN bus via the OBD port. There typically are pins that adhere to the OBD2 spec as well as additional pins for the CAN bus. On my car (Mk6 VW) there are multiple CAN buses which are separated by a gateway device. A device plugged into the OBD port has to negotiate with the gateway in order to access the other buses, but once it has done so can control the windows, lighting, instrument cluster, etc.

laumars 9y ago

This looks an amazing project however I am very concerned about just how secure it is. Anyone remember the vulnerability disclosures of the existing in car systems and their ability for remote exploit resulting in a malicious party having control over things as essential as the cars velocity? AutoPi, while undoubtedly cool, definitely feels like quite an exploitable attack vector if not very carefully engineered. So I'd personally wait for an independent audit before buying this product.

geniium 9y ago

Just a question of time until you can say "Hey Kitt, come to me!"

LordKano 9y ago
All I really want is Turbo Boost.

carlmcqueen 9y ago

I was actually hoping this was more a hardware sale only where they give us something like Automatic* that we can tweak ourselves. [*] https://www.automatic.com/ https://www.automatic.com/

mccrack 9y ago
What do you mean? It's a Raspberry Pi running Linux, you can tweak it as much as you like: https://www.autopi.io/hardware-dongle https://www.autopi.io/hardware-dongle

Jaepa 9y ago

First off this looks cool. But these 4G connected smart ODB dongles scare the crap out of me. You are giving an IOT device the ability to disable breaks, the transmission, and lock you inside. I'm not really worried about a Maximum Overdrive type situation, giving this much control to a category of devices that was able to take down Dyn because so many of these devices used a subset of 60 common factory default usernames and passwords. I think there is a good use case for these type of devices, but I think ODB, isn't the right mechanism for it. But I don't know if there will be a new standard.

joshuata 9y ago
OBD2 is incapable of doing any of those things. It is a diagnostic interface to read out information about important systems. There is a standard set of data streams, and vendors add customizations on top. So any OBD2 scanner should work on any car, but it may not be able to parse/display non-standard data streams. There is some danger of control over the interface, but the interface does not specify any control operations beyond resetting diagnostic codes. The vulnerabilities in the interface stem from automakers repurposing the protocol, and are model/maker specific. It seems like another protocol would only help if it defined control mechanisms so that carmakers would stop abusing OBD2.
- serf 9y ago
  >OBD2 is incapable of doing any of those things. This is false. OBD2 is utilized very differently by different manufacturers. I am capable of applying brakes through the ABS system, applying any given throttle percent, shifting the cars sequential manual gearbox, forced over-pressurization of the transmission hydraulic system (for pressure vessel testing and relief valve testing) , or reflashing ANY of the ECMs available to the CANBUS network via the normal OBD2 interface on my BMW E46 M3 using the (bootlegged) OEM Rheingold/INPA software. (Among many many other things) The ONLY ECM on the E46 M3 that is cordoned away from the OBD2/CANBUS interface is the SRS system (thankfully) This software is freely available on most public trackers. It's by no-means rare or uncommon. OBD2 is MUCH more capable than most are aware, especially on manufacturers like BMW or Audi that needed to shoehorn additional tech and diagnosis capabilities into the system. P.S. I know you mentioned that manufacturers make the interface unsafe; I just wanted to clarify to those reading that it is by no means uncommon for manufacturers to do so nowadays. A consumer should by no means make a judgement about the control of their car by thinking "OBD2 is incapable of doing any of those things." when that's demonstrably not the case for many modern cars.

benkarst 9y ago

When is AutoPi going to add the option to go keyless through facial, voice, optical, or fingerprint recognition? I guess Ford already patented something like this but it would be nice to have it open source too. http://www.biometricupdate.com/201502/ford-granted-patent-for-keyless-biometric-system-for-vehicles http://www.biometricupdate.com/201502/ford-granted-patent-fo...

blacksmith_tb 9y ago

It looks like a promising piece of hardware (though I am not sure if it's an RPi Zero they're adding BT and Wifi to, or actually an RPi Zero W - which would be easier, you'd think). My last two cars both put their OBD II ports exactly where my left leg is under the steering wheel, so I hope they ship it with a short right-angle extension cable (I use a much shorter BT dongle to connect to my phone current, it doesn't project too far).

Jun8 9y ago

I didn't see Dashbot (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/dashbot-a-49-robot-for-your-dashboard https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/dashbot-a-49...) mentioned here: it's pretty much the same thing but instead using Alexa and not using (potentially scary) OBD port connection. With Ford announcing Alexa integration coming this summer to SYNC3 (https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/01/04/alexa-car-ford-amazon-shop-search-home.html https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017...) it seems devices such as these will be more commonplace. Question to HN: What can Alexa/GA integration enable in a car other than the mundane music search, ask directions, etc. scenarios? How many of you would want to use it to send short messages (e.g. "Sorry!" after cutting someone off) to a small LED display mounted on your rear bumper?

pramodxyle 9y ago

Be it Google Assistant SDK or Amazon AVS, these SDKs are mainly used for voice services. If you add an additional layer on top to customize the wake word/initial trigger, won't these systems/setups be something like : Custom wake word processing Engine -> IFTTT Maker or Amazon skills -> Underlying subsystem that perform action -> IFTTT Maker or Amazon skills -> Custom wake word processing Engine == Custom wake word processing Engine -> Google Assistant SDK or Amazon AVS SDK -> Underlying subsystem that perform action -> Google Assistant SDK or Amazon AVS SDK -> Custom wake word processing Engine ?