PIXKIT is an autonomous driving development and education kit
PIXKIT comes with the drive-by-wire hardware platform with a set of sensors to achieve the basic autonomous driving functions, like path planning, path following, vector map building, obstacle avoidance, traffic lights recognition etc. The sensor package includes LiDAR, camera, computing unit, navigation system etc.. PIX platforms have rich open CAN interface for users to integrate the upper control layer for further software development and algorithms testing. PIXKIT have been used by universes, R&D institutes and AV companies around the world including the US, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden etc..
Equipped with ROS drivers, PIXKIT supports open source autonomous driving software like Autoware and Apollo. PIXKIT is dedicated to lowering the entry barrier of autonomous driving development. It empowers academic professors, educational experts, developers and general engineers to quickly develop and deploy autonomous vehicles, to build/test algorithms and to launch AV demonstrations, sparking more possibilities.
Learn more about PIXKIT
PIXKIT Includes
Hardware
Drive-by-wire chassis
Modular mounting brackets
Full set of sensors
Industrial remote control
Documentations
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Detailed user guide for open source software Autoware
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Instruction manual for ROS development
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Technical manual for drive-by-wire chassis
PIXKIT Hardware
01
PIX Drive-by-wire Chassis
Built BY Engineers FOR Engineers
A drive-by-wire chassis platform dedicated to autonomous driving developers
High-precision
Drive-by-wire Control
Drive-by-wire control on steering, braking, acceleration, gear switch, and vehicle lighting system
Safe and Reliable
Protection on speed accidental operation. Remote emergency stop. Bionic architecture. The cerebellum (VCU) is independent of the autonomous driving system and controls the secure actuation mechanism of the chassis, reducing electronic control redundancy while ensuring autonomous driving of high safety level.
Open CAN Interface
Rich CAN Bus interfaces for acceleration opening control, steering torque control and lighting system control
Autoware Supported
Corresponding chassis DBC files for Apollo and Autoware are provided. With open CAN interface, PIXKIT is fully plug-and-play. Meanwhile, various autonomous driving algorithm systems and formats are supported
Multiple Pods
Vehicle open top design for the flexible integration of different autonomous driving applications
Multiple Steering Modes
4-wheel hub motors with independent drive and closed-loop control, enabling 4-wheel and 2-wheel steering modes, powerful and flexible.
02
Modular Mounting Brackets
Standard Mode
Standardized mounting brackets at the center of the chassis, with spacious space reserved at the two sides of the vehicle.
A diverse range of functional equipment can be placed.
Extensible Mode
Extrusion profile package of 10 meters is included. No more holes needed. Profiles can be connected to any position of the chassis to build sensor mounting frame with ease, enabling customized mounting position and outlook.
With the extensible mode, sensors of various configurations can be deployed to support autonomous driving development of different levels.
03
Full-Set Sensors
All-scenario Autonomous Driving Is Supported
Sensors and equipment include monitor, industrial computer, LiDARs, cameras, GNSS, IMU etc. Deployment of Apollo and Autoware autonomous driving functions is supported.
04
Industrial remote control
Contact PIX to learn more about the parameters of the remote control.
PIXKIT Documentations
PIXKIT docs have covered open source software Apollo and Autoware, as well as ROS system, drive-by-wire technology, achieving full-dimensional instructions and meeting the requirements of chain teaching. The comprehensive documentations make it suitable for basic and advanced R&D, project development and application demonstration.
Autoware Documentation Collection
PIX has organized the public documents of Autoware into orderly collections, covering the step-to-step instructions from environment deployment, software installation to vehicle setup and operation in both expressive descriptions and tutorial videos. Meanwhile, Autoware has open and full-scenario code repositories on Gitlab with rich online learning resources to help developers quickly master Autoware and realize multi-scenario demonstration on real vehicles.
About Autoware
Autoware is an open-source software for self-driving vehicle development. The initial version of Autoware originated from the research group at Nagoya University and has now developed into a universal autonomous driving software platform, adopted by 100+ global enterprises, universities, research institutes, and startups. Autoware has a versatile framework with functions covering localization, perception, prediction, decision-making, path planning, control, and more. With modular design, the software modules can be added, removed, and optimized accordingly based on different application scenarios.
Features
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L4 autonomous driving capability with complete core functions
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Open codes on Gitlab
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Easy deployment in efficiency
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Rich online resources with a global developer community
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Developed based on ROS and supporting ROS development environment
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Apache2.0 license supporting further development for different end applications
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Open mapping tools for HD map to achieve data collection, building and mapping
Apollo Documentation Collection
PIX has organized the public documents of Apollo into orderly collections, covering the step-to-step instructions from entry level to advanced development in expressive words and explanatory pictures. Apollo has powerful technical support and a large community, from which developers can access numerous learning resources, connecting the Apollo ecosystem.
About Apollo
Apollo is a high performance, flexible architecture which accelerates the development, testing, and deployment of Autonomous Vehicles. Apollo is released by Baidu, targeting to provide a software platform for the automotive and autonomous driving industries, who can fast develop applications based on their own hardware systems.
Features
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Rich online resources and a global developer community http://apollo.auto/devcenter/idpcourse_cn.html
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High-performance and flexible architecture to enhance AV development
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Skilled developing team for continuous software iteration
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360-degree view to deal with the complex urban road conditions
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Scenario-based planning to navigate in difficult situations
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Support vehicle-infrastructure collaborative technology
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High-performance Cyber RT framework, suitable for industry-level autonomous driving
ROS Development Instruction Manual
The manual covers basic introduction and use instructions on ROS, as well as in-detailed tutorials on project setup, enabling users to apply ROS function modules step by step. The manual also elaborates on the ROS programming techniques specifically for autonomous driving development and project setup, as well as informative knowledge on Autoware, further helping developers understand the in-depth principles and approaches of autonomous driving development.
Vehicle Drive-by-wire Technical Manual
PIX drive-by-wire manual provides a full range of technical guidance from the mechanism of drive-by-wire control, drive-by-wire steering, braking and power system to gear switch, covering the core principles of autonomous driving and its implementation methodology. For engineers who are not familiar with drive-by-wire vehicles or lack knowledge on the control approach, this manual offers them a great shortcut for fast development and the engineers can meanwhile gain an objective understanding on the bottom-layer control of autonomous vehicles for better and more efficient development.
PIXKIT Features
Conventional Solution
PIXKIT Solution
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Complicated hardware supply chains
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Incompatible with the sensors
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Difficult to start for autonomous driving algorithms development
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Lack of verification and test on real vehicles
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Unaffordable
vs
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Full-stack hardware solution with full-set sensors, computing platform and drive-by-wire chassis
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Highly-compatible with a wide variety of sensors
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Detailed user manuals on Apollo and Autoware with step-by-step instructions and remote support, which ensures fast development and deployment
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Flexible and customizable drive-by-wire chassis with 2-wheel and 4-wheel steering modes
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Cost-effective, high-performance, full-openness
Based on the wide variety of instruction manuals and collections, PIX engineers also provide developers with remote technical support, including:
PIX Technical Support
> Failure inspection and diagnosis on chassis electronic control and related functions
> Installation guidance for sensor mounting brackets
> Guidance and reference for sensor installation positions
> Reference and instructions on chassis platform maintenance and repairing
> Providing DBC files compatible with Autoware
> Providing remote support for Autoware installation
> Support for setting-up and debugging of Autoware on chassis platform
> Professional guidance on HD map creation targeted for Autoware platform
> Introduction for Autoware function extensions