Researchers turn cars into gaming consoles

Video games in your own car? Thanks to two PhD students in computer science from the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, this could soon be possible. Their project aims to turn any modern car into a console for computer racing games.

In the project called Vehicle to Game (V2G) Modern cars must be used as controllers in computer racing games. This car hacking project, based on the Python programming language, allows you to control computer racing games faithfully using a car's steering wheel and accelerator pedal.

This research team has presented Project at Def Con 32. Accordingly, the VG2 should be usable in two different ways. On the one hand, via the upgraded Raspberry Pi that comes with Bus adapter can Equipped. On the other hand, it can be used via a laptop connected to the OBD-II diagnostic port via cable (UDS mode). Alternatively, it is also possible to connect directly to the vehicle's CAN bus (internal CAN bus mode). The project code is already available as open source software Github available.

Here's how it works

Of course, this is all very complicated. So, here is a simplified explanation. Before you can get started, you need to figure out how the car communicates with the game system. This involves “reverse engineering,” that is, decoding the data the car sends and receives.

to The bus can be placed You have to read the messages that the car sends via the CAN bus. These messages then tell you, for example, how to move the steering wheel.

in UDS Mode A diagnostic device was also required. The PhD students then connected this to the car using a cable. Using this device, you can finally read the data necessary to establish the connection to the gaming system. According to the research team, this method has worked on different models of cars, so in principle it should be possible on all vehicles with the appropriate connections.

To make the connection easier, the researchers developed an extension that allows the Raspberry Pi to draw power through the car's OBD-II port.

This is how it is played.

The game controller can be used for the project in two ways: either via direct connection, where the computer emulates an Xbox 360 controller connected directly to the car's CAN bus, or via Bluetooth emulation, where the Raspberry Pi emulates a Bluetooth controller that communicates wirelessly with the computer.

In the demo, graduate students placed a screen on the hood of the car so the driver could see the game through the windshield. The car’s steering wheel and pedals controlled the virtual car. Turn signals and high beams enabled additional in-game functions such as dropping objects.

The entire system costs less than 50 euros to set up, plus any diagnostic equipment required. Details on how to connect your car to the game's virtual console are in the researchers' presentation. Page 28 To find.