CarVi smart 'puck' is a personal driving assistant

CarVi is a puck-shaped smart device designed for use in vehicles, where it is mounted to the windshield and paired with a smartphone. Driving metrics like how roughly one brakes and how suddenly they accelerate are gathered. More useful for the immediate act of driving is also gathered using real-time video surveillance via a camera in the CarVi; the footage is used to determine if there's some issue the driver should be aware of, including things like whether a driver up ahead has suddenly changed lanes.

In addition to monitoring lane changes, CarVi also keeps tabs on how close you are to the car in front of you, alerting if you need to back off for safety reasons. Both hard braking and "reckless driving" patterns are monitored with suggestions on how to fix these issues, jackrabbit start troubles are noted, and more.

CarVi is complemented by a mobile app available for both Android and iOS, which works with the unit once it is paired with one's smartphone. Some calibration work is done initially so the camera unit knows the car's position and speed, and from there it'll kick in and start functionality normally.

A "super early bird" CarVi unit is available for $249 USD through Indiegogo, where the device's maker is looking to raise $100,000 USD in funding. The campaign only recently started, and has thus far raised $36,549 USD with 42 days remaining. If all goes well, shipping will start in August.

SOURCE: Indiegogo