Hacking Cars

OpenXC 3D-Printed Vibrating Shift Knob

Ford Engineer Zachary Nelson uses the motor from a Microsoft™ Xbox 360® game controller to create an OpenXC shift knob that vibrates when a driver shifts gears in a Ford Mustang. The 3D-printed prototype shift knob uses Ford’s OpenXC research platform to link devices to the car via Bluetooth®, and shares vehicle data from the on-board diagnostics port. Zach tests his prototype in a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that vibrates at the optimal time to change gears.

And in perhaps related news:

Automotive takeover schemes to be detailed at Defcon hacker conference

Famed white hats Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek are preparing to unleash a 100-page paper at the annual hacker conference in Las Vegas, and notably, hacks that overtake both Toyota and Ford automotive systems will be positioned front and center. The information was gathered as part of a multi-month project that was funded by the US government, so it’s important to note that the specifics of the exploits will not be revealed to the masses; they’ll be given to the automakers so that they can patch things up before any ill-willed individuals discover it on their own.


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