OpenAuto Turns Raspberry Pi Into a Fantastic Alternative to Android Auto

Car manufacturers are still trying to offer their proposals in the field of infotainment systems, but some are already beginning to integrate the platforms of Google and Apple, Android Auto and CarPlay, to give an attractive alternative to these solutions.

Other solutions want to allow us to enjoy these options in the car from another perspective, and that is what OpenAuto does, a project that with a Raspberry Pi 3 and a touch screen gives us access to a few functions very similar to those offered by Android Auto, for example.

Put a Raspberry Pi (and a touch screen) in your car

The project is based on the installation of a Linux distribution, Raspbian Stretch, which is then added libraries such as the famous Qt to run the applications intended to be used in the car.

The Raspberry Pi 3 on which they have been based to start the project is connected to a touch screen (480p, 720p or 1080p) that is recommended for interaction with the system. Completing the process is relatively simple, and both the source code ( in GitHub ) and the installation instructions are publicly available.

The project, developed by Michal Szwaj, raises, for now, a system in which it is possible to control multimedia playback – Bluetooth support is the protagonist – or access Google maps, for example. At the moment there are no features offered such as GPS navigation, but the versatility of the Raspberry Pi makes that option does not seem challenging to implement.

The project is in fact not only available for the Raspberry Pi, but also for Linux and Windows systems, and its GPLv3 license invites anyone to investigate and contribute to an initiative that once again demonstrates the versatility of the Raspberry Pi.

It is not the only project open in this regard: for years the Automotive Grade Linux initiative of the Linux Foundation also aims to conquer our cars, and in fact, at the recent CES the presence of this platform in Toyota cars was announced.