Thai startup goes into top gear with crowdfunding for car analytics gizmo

Now that people are getting used to viewing analytics about their health, a number of startups are taking the notion of “quantified self” and useful data to our cars. The latest to do so is a fledgling Thai startup called Drivebot that recently emerged from the Dtac Accelerate program in Bangkok.

The startup is now seeking crowdfunding for its gizmo, which provides data and feedback on the health of your car – and on you as a driver. Drivebot is seeking US$35,000 in crowdfunding on Indiegogo and has already amassed over US$12,000 with 37 days to go.

Like similar app-connected gadgets from Automatic and Dash, the Drivebot plugs into a car’s Onboard Diagnostics (OBD) port (which nearly all cars now have, since it’s been mandatory in the US and EU for well over a decade). Through the mobile apps for iOS and Android, it will produce “issue cards” when it detects a problem with your car, and collates “trip logs” after each drive. It can also create smart suggestions for ways you save guess, take more efficient routes, or the times when your preferred route has bad traffic.

“We already have a working prototype,” explains Atthaphong “Beam” Limsupanark to Tech in Asia. He adds that the team is 80 percent of the way through developing its iOS app. The team plans to ship the first Drivebots in February and launch the iOS app at the same time. The Android app is due a month later.

The cheapest available crowdfunding package that gets you a Drivebot is now US$75, which is 40 percent off the retail price. Beam says the startup will target the Thai market first once it’s ready to go on sale in shops, but the gadget and the apps are made with a broader, global market in mind.

After Drivebot, the startup team has a few other smart gadgets in mind.

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