Ford OpenXC Platform Is Now Open For Vehicle Data, Customizable Hardware And Open-Source Research

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• Open-source hardware and software toolkits are now available at http://openxcplatform.com for developers and researchers who want to explore what can be done with vehicle data
• Ford is encouraging developers, researchers and hackers to focus on using big data and open-source innovations using OpenXC
• The launch of OpenXC marks the second developer platform to be offered by Ford

On the heels of launching its first software developer program, Ford is now turning its attention to the growing trend in hardware hacking by transforming vehicles into an experimental development environment. The OpenXC research platform from Ford is now out of beta and available to all "makers" and do-it-yourselfers at http://openxcplatform.com.  

Earlier this week at the 2013 International CES the Ford Developer Program was launched making the SYNC ^® AppLink™ application programming interface (API) available for the creation of smartphone apps that can be controlled inside the car using your voice.

While AppLink is available in Ford vehicles now, OpenXC is focused on the future as an open-source hardware and software platform developed by Ford Research and Innovation to unleash the power of the open-source hacker community to explore what can be done with vehicle data.

"Ford is committed to innovating with the help of software and now hardware developers," said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president and chief technical officer. "By connecting cars and trucks to wireless networks, and giving unheard-of access to vehicle data, entirely new application categories and hardware modules can be explored – safety, energy efficiency, sharing, health; the list goes on. OpenXC gives developers and researchers the tools they need to get involved."

The OpenXC kit includes a vehicle interface module based on the popular Arduino platform developers can use to read data from the vehicle's internal communications network. The hardware module provides real-time access to parameters like the vehicle sensors, GPS receiver and vehicle speed. The hardware module is connected to a smartphone or tablet on which apps can be written to consume and use these data.

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