We’re proud to introduce the NATIX VX360, a device tailored to give Tesla drivers the power to access and monetize their surrounding camera data while helping to change the world. As we continue to pioneer DePIN (decentralized physical infrastructure networks), we’re taking our innovative approach to a whole new level with VX360. This cutting-edge hardware can revolutionize map-making and introduce a new application on NATIX Network: accelerating a safer and more cost-effective autonomous vehicle (AV) stack development and testing. The VX360 is available for an early bird pre-sale price of $279.99, until January 31st, at natix.network/vx360-depin-dashcam.
Until now, we’ve been collecting geospatial data via the Drive& app, built a network of over 190K users, covered over 100M KMs of road, and signed our first data client. For NATIX, the VX360 represents a new chapter in mapping and data collection, as 360° imagery is the holy grail of mapmaking data curation. Building a camera unit to collect this all-encompassing data would be far more expensive and contradict our ideology of scalable or commodity DePIN. We’re always looking to make the most out of existing hardware, as we did with smartphones, and the simple, yet cutting-edge VX360, enables us to tap into Tesla's 4 cameras to provide a data quality that no smartphone nor dashcam can, and support applications that go beyond map-making, venturing into the realm of autonomous driving.
We’ve all imagined that flying cars, like the ones depicted in Back to The Future, or The Jetsons, will roam the skies by now, let alone self-driving cars. The autonomous vehicle industry has been pushing for Level 5 autonomy for decades but has faced many hurdles on its way there. Letting an automated system take full control of a vehicle as it weaves through traffic and carries us safely to our destination is easier than it sounds. Researchers believe that for that to happen, tests must prove that an autonomous vehicle is at least 90 percent safer than a human driver to reach that point, and with the tools we have today, it proves to be too slow and costly.
When building a new autonomous driving stack and before the production stage of a self-driving functionality (e.g. automatic right turn), AD companies and manufacturers face two options:
However, Scenario generation for simulation purposes is not as simple as it sounds. Nowadays, experts have to manually build these simulations, where a single complex scenario (e.g. a right turn with many elements on the road) can take a few weeks or months to generate. Imagine having to create millions of these simulations that would cover all possible scenarios, in all jurisdictions and road conditions. Building simulations from real-world driving footage helps speed up this process, but this kind of footage is hard to come by, especially considering it has to include a 360° angle to consider all possible elements, from tracking an overlapping vehicle’s trajectory to out-of-view pedestrians crossing the road.
This led enterprises like Nvidia and Uber to invest millions in researching alternative solutions, like using Generative AI to create synthetic driving simulations, which are more effective than manually building a scenario from scratch. Nevertheless, no simulation can fully capture the dynamics of real-world driving – where human drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and unexpected environmental factors interact in unstructured and spontaneous ways.
Enter NATIX VX360, the ultimate solution to the lack of real-world footage plaguing autonomous vehicle manufacturers today. VX360 connects to Tesla’s front, side, and rear cameras, capturing real-world, all-encompassing data with 360° imagery that gives an in-depth view of interactions that simulations struggle to replicate, which is crucial for AV development. NATIX will be holding a goldmine of data that can enrich both manual simulation generation and synthetic simulations with real footage contributed by real drivers, all over the world. Using AI, we can automatically segment the footage collected into different scenarios and offer easily accessible datasets.
everaging the NATIX DePIN model eliminates the need for a car to go through millions of miles to collect footage, turning every Tesla into a powerhouse of data, and creating a naturally diverse dataset without the overhead of a company-owned fleet. Tapping into Tesla’s built-in 4x sensors with VX360, powered by DePIN innovation, offers data diversity at a fraction of the cost. AV developers will now have affordable, and immediate access to the exact conditions their systems will need to handle autonomously on the road and play a pivotal role in developing safer autonomous vehicles. VX360 positions NATIX as the first DePIN project directly contributing to the development of the autonomous driving stack.
So far, Drive& provided us with the perfect alternative to collecting dynamic geospatial data. For the mapping industry, this helps create freshly updated maps with real-time data from every driver in the ecosystem. However, the holy grail of mapping lies in 360° street-level imagery. We’ve all experienced going into Google Street View and finding out the footage is outdated.
Dashcams can only go so far when collecting street-level imagery, and even then they lack the necessary ability to build a complete view, as they only face forward, giving a 2d view of the world. Front-facing cameras will always fail to capture the full scope of details necessary for taking maps to the next level. A 360° view leaves no place for blind spots, allowing for the simultaneous capture of roadways, signage, buildings, pedestrians, and other critical environmental elements, including subtle details like cracks in the road, texture variations, or the exact placement of objects. This level of detail is crucial for creating precise maps to model and represent real-world environments in high definition.
Because 360° cameras capture everything in a single pass, they drastically reduce the time and effort required to collect mapping data. There's no need to reposition the camera or make multiple passes to cover different angles, streamlining the process and improving efficiency. This is especially useful for applications like city planning, and immersive maps that benefit from high-quality visual depth. 360° footage can also power projects creating HD maps that autonomous systems rely on for safer and more efficient operations.
Building a 360° camera unit would come at an incredible cost, and include challenges such as camera setup, calibration, and more. Tapping into Tesla’s front, rear, and side cameras offers a ready-made solution, without the extra fuss – it’s there, it’s all-encompassing and accessible, offering the ability to collect real-world footage to build incredibly detailed and realistic views of the world around us. VX360 is the perfect candidate for a new age of cost-effective, decentralized 360° street-level imagery collection.
At NATIX, we value our drivers’ privacy and data control as a top priority. There are three methods with which we ensure your Tesla footage captured by the VX360 remains secure:
The VX360 is designed to give our drivers ultimate control over their data, putting the power in the palm of your hands via the companion app which will be launched with the first devices shipped. As you drive around, over 20 hours of your trip and sentry footage captured by your Tesla's front, side, and rear cameras will be stored, leveraging the device’s 256GB storage space. Automatically upload the footage to your personal cloud space when connected to Wi-Fi for a 360° view of your surroundings. You can easily access, download, and manage your recordings directly on your smartphone with the VX360 companion app – a perfect solution for fleet management capabilities, incident documentation, and more.
Turn your trips into crypto and non-crypto rewards in a gamified experience based on activity and contribution. Your earnings can be monitored on the companion app, which will be available for iOS and Android. The data you share is monetized to fuel better map-making initiatives and safer autonomous driving applications.
With VX360, every drive is an opportunity to make a difference. Tesla drivers gain access to their own footage, earn crypto and non-crypto rewards, and become key contributors to essential data that drives the future of mapping, autonomous vehicles, and more. NATIX’s decentralized model puts Tesla owners at the forefront of industry-changing developments, all while maintaining privacy and security.
Whether enhancing maps, developing AV technology, or creating better services across sectors, VX360 enables Tesla drivers to be part of a transformative movement that benefits everyone on the road. Why just drive, when you can drive for a better world?
