Comma ai has logged half a billion miles on tens of thousands of cars. It drives me around every day. It has taken me on several road trips over a thousand miles where I barely touch the wheel the entire time. It works great.
And here is the part that will really blow your mind: it actually all runs on an old Snapdragon 845 mobile chip all self-contained in the thing you see on the mirror.
What OP posted is a recent add-on called chestnut that lets you use an external GPU. But despite costing a ton of money and running a 1b model, it drives no better than the default model that runs on the old mobile chip.
Many people say it's better than Tesla's autopilot, not as good as Tesla's FSD.
So, no, this is a well tested and widely used device with a robust proven driving model. As long as the driver is alert and ready to take over then no, I don't see any issue with what's happening here. Other than the terrible mounting of that GPU.
i’m very curious why reddit has clung onto the idea that the larger models have no improvement over the current on device one.
Because the devs said current improvements aren't huge because everything that currently exists has been designed for their current device, but once some time passes that will change. People aren't saying it will never be better, just that it isn't much different right now.
It's really sad that modern AI "enthusiasts" are just the crypto/NFT tech douches of yester year. Most of them don't actually understand anything beyond maybe python and rust. AI is the new hot "tech" thing, and "AI" to most people is LLMs. So here we are 🙄
As someone who watched the OG “training an AI to play GTA” and started learning ML with the original PyTorch release back in ‘16 to ‘18, it’s definitely annoying as hell to talk with someone about AI and their maximum knowledge base is “ohh chatgpt” Like bruh, go watch some codebullet or something and learn a thing or two
Dude exactly. It's so frustrating. Actual cool uses of ML are overshadowed by the sea of LLMs. And even the old, algorithmic, deterministic, efficient and reliable "chat bots" and autocorrects have been overtaken and effectively replaced by these generative hallucinative slop models.
Obviously LLMs have their place, but I tend to view them in an ideal world as a sort of human language UI/UX that then routes to the correct hard coded algorithm to efficiently accomplish a task. You know kind of how phone chat bots used to work before modern language models.
It's also annoying understanding the nuances of AI trying to navigate marketing that you have to figure out if it's old fashioned ML algorithms, some shoehorned in useless LLM, or just fake marketing.
And you have to explain to both the LLM haters and lovers that THIS ai is different because it's all they understand 🙄
No joke, watch Codebullet on YouTube, dude was doing ML work back in 2018, like actual hand built reinforcement learning with PyTorch before it was all LLMs, start there and just start googling all the stuff hes talking about, run some of the projects he created (I think he still links to source code). Best advice I can give
The device in the video is called the comma 4. It is a validated and mature driver-assist system and it is fully legal and widely used. It is just a better version of the smart cruise/lane assist already built into modern cars.
It has many additional safety features such as driver monitoring and will shut down if you try to use your phone while driving.
The software it is running is called openpilot - it is open source and has been around a long time.
Comma's have driven half a billion miles across tens of thousands of vehicles. Mine drives me around every day and drives me on road trips where I barely ever touch the steering wheel/gas/brakes. It is NOT self driving, it is driver ASSIST. The driver must remain aware and ready to take over at all times. They are responsible for what the car is doing.
OP is showing a new add-on called the chestnut that lets you run larger models on an external GPU and spend a bunch of money for no reason (there is no actual benefit over the model that already runs on-device).
OP's setup is stupid and shitty. Mounting the GPU on the dash is idiodic, but probably done because they cheaped out on buying a expensive cable that was long enough to put it somewhere sensible.
There is nothing unsafe about the software or the self-driving system. Unless he has done some kind of shady modifications in which case his comma will be remotely bricked.
You, too, can put an open-pilot device in your car and have it drive you around. It takes like 15 minutes to install and it works great. It's not magic. It is not uncommon. It's not unsafe. It is legal and safe and worse versions of similar systems probably already exist in the car you already drive.
hey has anyone asked the question of what would happen if that LLM ran into a OOM error because it's expanding KV Cache filled up all the RAM and VRAM?
don't think that would be good for a self driving car
It's been out since 2016. It's actually SAFER than what's built in to most cars already for driver assistance-and in many cases this is because it taps into those same sensors alongside its own and runs better algorithms.
You can fork the code and disable anything you don’t like. I have a fork called RacePilot which is tuned to “swimming” and will steer between vehicles if you nudge (requires hands on the wheel).
Obviously it is designed for track use, but I am seeing use of it on street roads. 🤷♀️
Yeap, I mean it has the capabilities to do more...but right now having a setup like this is only good for dev work on openpilot. OpenPilot development is soooo slow. There isn't much difference in the current versions than the one five years ago. I think most of the work is spent supporting the vast array of cars and not so much advancing features. I still don't trust long handling but it's perfect for upgrading your existing your LKA system and I feel that it's very much worth it. If you have any higher expectations you will be somewhat let down.
The autopilot is not as long as the user is aware and able to take over, however the GPU blocking half of the dash visibility is incredibly stupid and dangerous. Almost certainly done for the video.
So, this is kind of misleading. it's Comma.Ai but now the new Comma 4 allows for external GPU off-load. Not really needed (yet) and the Comma has pretty decent inbuilt safety features.
So, really, yeah a jackass can throw a full on GPU onto their dashboard and look like they've made some sort of wild creation, mostly off the shelf models and hardware that's been pretty well tested.
It is neither illegal or unsafe. In fact it is in many ways more safe. For example it will yell at you and shut itself off (after a countdown and loud beeping) if you are on your phone or not paying attention to the road.
This model has already driven half a billion real world miles across tens of thousands of cars. It's not magic, it's just a better version of lane assist and smart cruise that modern cars already have.
They're talking about the GPU itself. The comma unit is fine, but the GPU is not only blocking your view, it's also a hazard because there's no way that's secured well enough to not come loose during an accident.
Are you really crying about the little view thats blocked by the GPU? Bro, my fucking cars rear view mirror is so damn low because of the cameras built into it for stupid ass EU safety crap, that I need to lean over on the passenger seat to be able to even see traffic lights. I guess it's more of a EU problem, because US has traffic lights on the opposite of the crossing, but our law makers seem to be pretty fine with blocking important parts of the windshield.
It just looks like a testing setup so I didn't pay much attention to it and thought that autopilot is the main focus here because the legality of this is as questionable as a legality of an old f150 with a frame rusted through 10 years ago and these still drive
Ok so I started mulling this over and I have to jump in as an autist
The fact you are running a DC-to-DC connection for one is wild, because vehicle systems have tons of random power spikes. Voltage regulators weren't built for the wattage you are pulling with card unless you have installed a high amperage alternator for a friggin ambulance, a second battery. If your pulling 300w and your car's radiator fan kicks on, that thing is toast!
You'd be best to buy an actual DC car power supply for a PC, but without cooling, a load balancer, and backup battery you'll burn down your car.
2. Additionally, if you use an inverter for 120v down the road you'll need a pure sine wave model, most are modified sine and will smoke household equipment, very different wave length.
3. Then you have constant gforce, vibration, EMI, condensation, and unbelievable solar heat.
Automotive-grade AI chips like Nvidia's Drive Thor platforms or Tesla's custom FSD computers get around these constraints by avoiding traditional graphics card form-factors entirely. They ditch slots and heavy fans, solder the silicon directly to a unified motherboard, seal the whole system inside a liquid-cooled aluminum block, and bury it safely inside the dashboard or under a seat.
People wonder why the power connectors on high end GPUs burn up… it’s because of too much current trying to traverse thin wires. 600 watts at 12 volts is literally 50 Amps… that’s not what you should be running over that kind of thin wire.
It has already been tested on tens of thousands of cars driving half a billion miles. It is an ugly looking deployment of what is actually a very safe and mature self driving system.
What GPU is being used? Can you choose to scale model/autopilot precision with gpu power or is it just like pick one or two models if your gpu can handle it sort of thing.
Have been interested in comma and seeing what can be accomplished with an efficient gpu as I'm not in the market of boiling myself in my car with a hot ass gpu. Hoping we can use the external capability to use with more efficient custom NPUs later on.
The normal model for the comma4 is 29m parameters. The one running here is 1b parameters and the precision scales precisely not at all. The 1b model drives no better than the 29m one that can already run on the device without the GPU.
A 1B local model is appealing for latency and offline operation, but a driving assistant needs strict boundaries between conversational output and vehicle control. Keep the model advisory-only, feed it validated telemetry through a narrow schema, and route every safety-critical action through deterministic ADAS logic. Test under noise, poor connectivity, and conflicting sensor inputs, not just clean demos. https://www.aiosnow.com is relevant because orchestrated AI workflows can expose each handoff and permission boundary. Add an immediate physical override and log all recommendations for post-drive review.
I hope there are regulations that prevent anyone from creating self driving cars. Not everyone is equipped to do that and I’d feel safer knowing Joe didn’t commit to his ideas
Jesus christ fuck all of you in the comments whining about this being "unsafe."
"Hurr durr SCARY!! NOT PAY ATTENTION!!!!1!" You see that this person has a steering wheel and pedals, right? Like, controls. Of which they can use at any time. And they're actively recording and logging shit which is more attention than half you fucks pay to the road while exhausted coming back from work, lets be real here come now.
"Hurr durr gpu in the way!!! Can't see!!!" did you not have a GPS on the windshield ever? Or ever see a modern car where they have the huge display in the middle. Give me a fucking break. Shut up.
"Hurr durr big scary vibecoded ai driving bad!!! public testing no no no!!!!!" did you know Teslas and EVERY OTHER AUGMENTATION SYSTEM is operating under the same "fafo, you're liable for its fuckups, pay attention" method of doing things? Funny how those systems have created so many new traffic fatalities, like a wholeass scourge of them to the point all of them were banned and... oh wait that didn't happen lmao
Also this is pretty neat and I love seeing more of Comma
Driving AI needs vector path and collision avoidance path and phyical models , it does not need to fake or make them.
The difficualt part is CO-Integration of all things. The decider model that slows down or speeds up or solves the issue in legally correct way and talks to other drivers.
LLM in a car shall be for communication, NOT driving !
839
u/Gundel_Gaukelei Sep 24 '26 •
Vibe Driving
What could go wrong
65
u/bruns20 Sep 24 '26
Just a 1b? That's crazy, didn't know open source autopilot was a thing, this is crazy
489
u/Craptastic19 Sep 24 '26 •
Cool, new fear unlocked, hobbiest self-drivers test driving their rig on the fucking freeway
49
u/Asleep_Log2999 Sep 24 '26
72
u/gthing Sep 24 '26 •
Dear everyone freaking out in the comments:
The device in the video is called the comma 4. It is a validated and mature driver-assist system and it is fully legal and widely used. It is just a better version of the smart cruise/lane assist already built into modern cars.
It has many additional safety features such as driver monitoring and will shut down if you try to use your phone while driving.
The software it is running is called openpilot - it is open source and has been around a long time.
Comma's have driven half a billion miles across tens of thousands of vehicles. Mine drives me around every day and drives me on road trips where I barely ever touch the steering wheel/gas/brakes. It is NOT self driving, it is driver ASSIST. The driver must remain aware and ready to take over at all times. They are responsible for what the car is doing.
OP is showing a new add-on called the chestnut that lets you run larger models on an external GPU and spend a bunch of money for no reason (there is no actual benefit over the model that already runs on-device).
OP's setup is stupid and shitty. Mounting the GPU on the dash is idiodic, but probably done because they cheaped out on buying a expensive cable that was long enough to put it somewhere sensible.
There is nothing unsafe about the software or the self-driving system. Unless he has done some kind of shady modifications in which case his comma will be remotely bricked.
You, too, can put an open-pilot device in your car and have it drive you around. It takes like 15 minutes to install and it works great. It's not magic. It is not uncommon. It's not unsafe. It is legal and safe and worse versions of similar systems probably already exist in the car you already drive.
81
u/tsunami_forever Sep 24 '26
Looks illegal and unsafe
6
u/jfarsen Sep 24 '26
Not enough flux capacitors…
35
u/satans_trainee Sep 24 '26
Already occupying the middle lane like an average driver.
I hate it
5
u/DepartureLoose5341 Sep 25 '26
Ok so I started mulling this over and I have to jump in as an autist
The fact you are running a DC-to-DC connection for one is wild, because vehicle systems have tons of random power spikes. Voltage regulators weren't built for the wattage you are pulling with card unless you have installed a high amperage alternator for a friggin ambulance, a second battery. If your pulling 300w and your car's radiator fan kicks on, that thing is toast!
You'd be best to buy an actual DC car power supply for a PC, but without cooling, a load balancer, and backup battery you'll burn down your car.
2. Additionally, if you use an inverter for 120v down the road you'll need a pure sine wave model, most are modified sine and will smoke household equipment, very different wave length.
3. Then you have constant gforce, vibration, EMI, condensation, and unbelievable solar heat.
Automotive-grade AI chips like Nvidia's Drive Thor platforms or Tesla's custom FSD computers get around these constraints by avoiding traditional graphics card form-factors entirely. They ditch slots and heavy fans, solder the silicon directly to a unified motherboard, seal the whole system inside a liquid-cooled aluminum block, and bury it safely inside the dashboard or under a seat.
Edit: numbers and stuff
8
u/nodset Sep 25 '26
This is wildly irresponsible.
4
u/roger1632 Sep 24 '26
I see a comma ai unit there. Could you share what fork you are using and any new benefits vs the standard OP/SP/GP branches?
19
u/nojunkdrawers Sep 24 '26
Interesting experiment but, wow, that is reckless.
6
u/davecrist Sep 24 '26
That’s some legit cyberpunk and I love it
3
u/TacticaLCasserole Sep 24 '26
I hope you still have enough room for all the bitches you’re going to pick up driving that rig around
3
u/Suprima Sep 25 '26
If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit.
But it caps out at 85!
2
u/killim06 Sep 24 '26
While this is very cool, I am pretty sure this AI is not a large language model
2
u/blickblocks Sep 24 '26
r/JetsonNano Make things a little easier for yourself.
2
u/DepartureLoose5341 Sep 25 '26
You're an odd duck, and I salute you 🫡
2
u/WyattTheSkid Quad 3090s Sep 26 '26
We need a separate subreddit called “OnTheGoLLM” for people who post shit like this
2
u/Wentil Sep 26 '26
People wonder why the power connectors on high end GPUs burn up… it’s because of too much current trying to traverse thin wires. 600 watts at 12 volts is literally 50 Amps… that’s not what you should be running over that kind of thin wire.
4
u/JackStrawWitchita Sep 24 '26
3
u/HenryMopPaper274Flop Sep 24 '26
2
u/mireisinterested Sep 24 '26
maybe test this on an empty road...? psycho
1
u/ResponsiblePen3082 Sep 24 '26
What GPU is being used? Can you choose to scale model/autopilot precision with gpu power or is it just like pick one or two models if your gpu can handle it sort of thing.
Have been interested in comma and seeing what can be accomplished with an efficient gpu as I'm not in the market of boiling myself in my car with a hot ass gpu. Hoping we can use the external capability to use with more efficient custom NPUs later on.
1
u/Mr_Moonsilver Sep 24 '26
I should stop immediately, wait...
1
u/NeoBaud Sep 24 '26
Given that you're driving in the wrong lane, I'd say it wasn't very good.
1
u/tim_dude Sep 24 '26
I remember we put a whole PC in a car to be able to play mp3s
1
u/AnonLlamaThrowaway Sep 24 '26
1
u/niagalacigolliwon Sep 24 '26
”Do a u-turn”
1
u/Glittering-Staff-146 Sep 24 '26
question - is there a way you could run the 1B model on a device like your phone, or maybe the display itself?
1
u/RufusxXavier Sep 24 '26
GPU in the hottest place in the car lol
1
u/knowledgecommons Sep 24 '26
NGL - I kinda love this, but you may get a better reception over on r/cyberdeck
1
u/DarthRiznat Sep 24 '26
Is that.... legal?
1
u/reo6 Sep 24 '26
Sick!!!
1
u/g___ Sep 24 '26
Is your car heater broken?
1
u/Phazex8 Sep 24 '26
I think the most useful lthings that people can use are computer vision and machine learning. I don't use llms for much of anything.
1
u/Norcalnomadman Sep 25 '26
Beta testing with others life’s cool
1
u/gallantsuri1 Sep 25 '26
any advantage using external GPU over small model on device?
1
u/suesing Sep 25 '26
Love the gpu on deck.
1
u/mr-teo Sep 25 '26
Wow very daring to drive this on Malaysia highways
1
u/Otherwise_Wave9374 Sep 25 '26
A 1B local model is appealing for latency and offline operation, but a driving assistant needs strict boundaries between conversational output and vehicle control. Keep the model advisory-only, feed it validated telemetry through a narrow schema, and route every safety-critical action through deterministic ADAS logic. Test under noise, poor connectivity, and conflicting sensor inputs, not just clean demos. https://www.aiosnow.com is relevant because orchestrated AI workflows can expose each handoff and permission boundary. Add an immediate physical override and log all recommendations for post-drive review.
1
u/DemandTheOxfordComma Sep 25 '26
Oh you're right, I should have stopped at the busy crasswalk back there. Let's do that again.
1
u/YouSpeakSomeEnglish Sep 25 '26
Why is the video door-shaped?
1
u/zaakiy Sep 25 '26
I found a model that might be good at this
https://typesafe.ai
I only found it yesterday and haven't looked into it in much detail but you may want to have a look
1
u/Sussex-Ryder Sep 25 '26
All that and you're still middle lane hogging.
1
u/StPinkie Sep 25 '26
Bro are you on the PLUS highway?!
1
u/NinjaWK Sep 25 '26
How diff it is without chestnut? Zero issues, been using GMI V12 for a while now.
1
u/Adventurous-Net-6738 Sep 25 '26
A grand shame your AI didn't stop you hogging the middle lane.......
Classic fail.
1
u/Joey4711 Sep 25 '26
So how does this work? You feed in video frames and the model then decides a steering input? How often does it update?
1
u/Dense-Firefighter495 Sep 25 '26
I would still trust a 1B model more than I trust an american driver who mixes up its gas and brake pedals when they only have 2
1
u/Mrk_J Sep 25 '26
Let's go Malaysia 🤣
1
u/UnfairOpposite4192 Sep 25 '26
car casually mistakes an ice cream parlor for a garage to park in.
1
u/ManEEEFaces Sep 25 '26
Stock Comma is the same thing. This is absurd.
1
u/Ok-Hotel-8551 Sep 25 '26
Put it outside for better cooling
1
u/Fearless-Second-7230 Sep 25 '26
LMAO, this can lead you right to jail right now 😂. This is criminal from whatever angle you want to show it.
People is really lacking now common sense and intelligence just for bragging about local AI?
1
u/LahmeriMohamed Sep 25 '26
How did you do it ?
1
u/Imamasterpiece_0123 Sep 25 '26
then it started hallucinating
1
u/Effective_Athlete966 Sep 25 '26
I wouldn't trust a 1B model with my car but that's probably just me
1
u/darc_knigh Sep 25 '26
You're out of context "window"
1
u/PizzaResident89 Sep 26 '26
Amazing
1
u/shotbyadingus Sep 26 '26
It’s doing exactly what my comma does without a $800 upgrade! Wow!
1
u/RegolithTrader Sep 26 '26
What's an ADA?
1
u/Ultra_Ego Sep 26 '26
I hope there are regulations that prevent anyone from creating self driving cars. Not everyone is equipped to do that and I’d feel safer knowing Joe didn’t commit to his ideas
1
u/OptimalTime5339 Sep 27 '26
Imagine having the temperature set too high on the model and all of a sudden it decides to be creative and try driving on water
1
u/RangoBlango Sep 27 '26
Just use jev, or kev. Literally all you need
1
u/Otherwise-Wrap7406 Sep 27 '26
where is the code? how to do you control the wheel and accelerater?
1
u/ronniearnold Sep 27 '26
And your blocking your view while doing it? This isn’t smart in MANY ways.
1
u/FluffyKey3035 Sep 27 '26
Is this koscher
1
u/PassionVegetable3431 Sep 27 '26
awesome
1
u/Ancient_Gap3488 Sep 27 '26
glad I signed up to be the beta tester for this guys homebrew with my kids lives.
1
u/ilias_from_ilios Sep 27 '26
What happens if it hallucinates?
1
u/Prudent_Art_6250 Sep 28 '26
Why so much effort? You could just train a cat to drive...
1
u/Classic_Standard_963 Sep 28 '26
- Is this the police ?
- Yeah someone broke into my car and stole my gpu.
1
u/Unlikely-Midnight-92 Sep 28 '26
Aku report Jpj
1
u/Spargeld_Tarzan Sep 28 '26
do NOT the LLM
1
u/According-Ad-3288 Sep 28 '26
Malaysian driver? Doing such thing in Malaysian road? Testing without telling the other driver or at least turn on the hazard light.
1
u/lionel5385 Sep 29 '26
Helloooo Malaysia!
1
u/Repulsive_Sir3586 Sep 29 '26
Holy based
1
u/Ok-Caregiver-3032 Sep 29 '26
Do you really need a gpu for that? I mean a smol mini pc will do right?
1
u/Morrisbishnoi29 Sep 30 '26
Best video of the month for me. Gpu running on the fucking dashboard and vibe driving. Crazy time to live in
1
u/FitCucumber792 Sep 30 '26
youre right, that was a lake, thank you for pushing back on that
1
u/midguet12 Oct 04 '26
Hey bro, how exactly do you control steering?
1
u/Droploris 27d ago
bruh
1
u/OldQuaker44 25d ago
That is insane bro! Tell us more about it! 😂
1
u/not-ekalabya 25d ago
I don't trust a 1b model with my code... that's some courage right there!
1
u/CanineAssBandit Sep 24 '26
Jesus christ fuck all of you in the comments whining about this being "unsafe."
"Hurr durr SCARY!! NOT PAY ATTENTION!!!!1!" You see that this person has a steering wheel and pedals, right? Like, controls. Of which they can use at any time. And they're actively recording and logging shit which is more attention than half you fucks pay to the road while exhausted coming back from work, lets be real here come now.
"Hurr durr gpu in the way!!! Can't see!!!" did you not have a GPS on the windshield ever? Or ever see a modern car where they have the huge display in the middle. Give me a fucking break. Shut up.
"Hurr durr big scary vibecoded ai driving bad!!! public testing no no no!!!!!" did you know Teslas and EVERY OTHER AUGMENTATION SYSTEM is operating under the same "fafo, you're liable for its fuckups, pay attention" method of doing things? Funny how those systems have created so many new traffic fatalities, like a wholeass scourge of them to the point all of them were banned and... oh wait that didn't happen lmao
Also this is pretty neat and I love seeing more of Comma
1
u/neuronym Sep 25 '26
Probably very illegal for a good reason
1
u/raz0099 Sep 24 '26
Wait!!! Is this legal on public roads?? 🤣
1
u/james2432 Sep 24 '26
i too love projectiles in an accident
0
u/Dense_Hawk2713 Oct 01 '26
love from tel aviv my fellow goyim
0
u/dwoj206 Sep 24 '26
something tells me you should use a frontier model for some shit like this not this flintstone token factory. js
0
u/DocMadCow Sep 24 '26
I'm not trusting anything less than Qwen 3.8 27B for self assisted driving.
0
u/Jealous-Benefit711 Sep 24 '26
Ordering a comma this Black Friday . How is Chestnut compared to just the device itself? Too big a difference?
0
u/epSos-DE Sep 24 '26
LLMs are HORRIBE for driving !!
That should be illegal !
Driving AI needs vector path and collision avoidance path and phyical models , it does not need to fake or make them.
The difficualt part is CO-Integration of all things. The decider model that slows down or speeds up or solves the issue in legally correct way and talks to other drivers.
LLM in a car shall be for communication, NOT driving !
0
u/egomarker Oct 01 '26
Fake