How MATT3R is transforming Tesla’s cameras into smart dashcams to protect drivers

MATT3R, which is pioneering AI tech to make roads safer for drivers, cyclists, public transit users, and pedestrians, has turned Tesla’s cameras into smart dashcams with its K3Y product to protect drivers.

A USB device that sits in the glove box of Tesla vehicles, K3Y acts as a “silent bridge between a vehicle’s built-in external cameras and a user’s phone.” This means the product has built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to enable footage access wirelessly from a phone.

K3Y records the Tesla vehicle’s external front, side, and rear cameras — offering a surround view of every trip. It also has built-in sensors to flag events like honks, harsh braking, front collision warnings, and autopilot disengagement.

The footage can be accessed through the CONSOL3 mobile app for iOS and Android, which supports third-party extensions for additional capabilities like cloud storage upload and driver rewards. MATT3R is already collaborating with partners on multiple extensions and will share details in the coming months.

Priced at $199, Tesla owners can place pre-orders for K3Y through MATT3R’s website. Shipments are expected to begin in late 2024. 

According to MATT3R, K3Y is just one component of the company’s push to make roads safer for everyone. The company is also developing software solutions to streamline R&D for companies creating automated driving systems (ADS). 

The solutions can turn raw driving data into simulation scenarios to train ADS algorithms and leverage anonymized data collected from K3Y users. This provides cost-effective access to scenarios that cover a wide range of real-world scenarios.

To date, MATT3R has raised CAD $2 million in pre-seed funding from a group of Vancouver-based investors. The company was founded by serial entrepreneur Hamid Abdollahi, who is also the co-founder of Recon Instruments, the maker behind the world’s first smart eyewear for sports, which was acquired by Intel in 2015.