How Does comma ai Ship openpilot? | Adeeb Shihadeh | COMMA_CON Talks | CPO

TL;DR

comma ai ships openpilot by designing every component for shippability, standardizing compute with the comma 3, adapting connections and software for each car, and enforcing a separate safety model. The comma 3 uses three cameras and a Snapdragon 845, while 34 harnesses cover 250 officially supported cars. Read on to see how hardware production, vehicle integration, testing, and safety constraints turn research into a deliverable system.

Transcript

all right I'm Adib um I'm the chief product officer here at comma I lead the open pilot team and I'm going to talk about how we actually ship open pilot um so we have a saying at comma we say the difference is ship ability um we've been saying this since the beginning um it's a pretty important core tenant of comma uh everything we do is designed t... Read More

Key Insights

• ❓ Comma emphasizes shippability of products from the beginning to ensure efficient production processes.
• 😨 Standardized hardware components, such as the Snapdragon 845 processor, are used in Comma 3 devices for consistency across car models.
• 🏆 Testing procedures include cloud-based tests and hardware-in-the-loop tests to guarantee product quality and reliability.
• 😤 Edge cases and real-world feedback are managed by the research team to drive continuous improvement and learning.
• 💯 Prioritizing shippability and maintaining consistent product quality are core principles of Comma's production process.
• ❓ The company utilizes standardized components and testing procedures to ensure uniformity and reliability in its products.
• ❓ Comma's approach to hardware production and testing demonstrates a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does comma ai actually ship openpilot?

comma ai designs its work to be shippable from the beginning, including creating an intermediate product when the final system cannot yet ship. It combines standardized comma 3 hardware with car-specific harnesses and software, then provisions and stress-tests the devices before fulfilling orders.

Q: What does comma ai mean by “the difference is shippability”?

Shippability means focusing development on work that can become a deliverable product. The team avoids spending time on things it does not expect to ship and seeks a shippable intermediate stage even when the final system is not ready.

Q: Why does openpilot need the comma 3 instead of a car’s built-in lane-keeping camera?

The built-in lane-keeping camera has very little compute, provides no raw camera video output, and differs between cars. The comma 3 supplies enough compute for modern machine-learning models and presents the same core platform across supported vehicles.

Q: What hardware is included in the comma 3?

The comma 3 has three cameras and a Snapdragon 845 processor. Every unit uses the same processor whether it is installed in a Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata, or Honda Civic.

Q: How are comma 3 devices manufactured and prepared for shipment?

Bare PCBs enter comma ai’s in-office Circuit Spoke line, which includes a jet printer, pick-and-place equipment, an oven, and AOI. The boards then go to assembly, provisioning, and stress testing, after which orders are fulfilled the next day and fulfillment occurs every day.

Q: How does comma 3 connect to different cars?

A car harness connects the vehicle to the comma 3, supplies power, and provides access to the CAN bus. Because connectors vary by brand and model, comma ai uses 34 different harnesses to cover 250 officially supported cars.

Q: What car-specific software does openpilot require?

Each brand has messages that must be reverse-engineered so openpilot can read and write vehicle data. The system reads signals such as speed, steering angle, standstill status, and driver steering torque, then sends steering, gas, and brake commands.

Q: How does the openpilot safety model let drivers retain control?

The safety model requires that the driver can take control by pressing the brake pedal or the cancel button. It also constrains openpilot from reacting too quickly for an attentive driver to take over, using specific actuation limits informed by standards such as ISO 15622 for ACC.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Comma focuses on shippability, ensuring products are ready for shipment from the beginning.

• Hardware production involves using standardized Comma 3 devices with uniform processors for various car models.

• Testing includes both cloud-based and hardware-in-the-loop tests to ensure continuous quality.