The Man Behind Android Wants To Hand Out Free Dashcams

Outside of Russia, the dashcam uptake has been fairly slow and steady. Now, one man wants to change that by offering free dashcams, but he wants something in return - tin foil hat wearers need not apply.

According to an interview with Wired, Android co-founder Andy Rubin revealed that he is working on a dashcam idea, with the plan to give the product away for free in exchange for the data it collects as you drive.

The reason for doing this is mainly stemmed in the potential for building a real-time map of the world, like a more advanced version of Google Maps’ current system for analysing Android phone data to map traffic density. There’s also the possibility that the images captured on camera could be used to create a more up-to-date Street View equivalent.

Rubin is keeping quiet about what else he’s working on, but for those concerned that we’re hurtling towards a scary, interconnected, robot-filled world, he had this to say:

“I don’t believe in Skynet or any of that stuff,” he says. “I believe, in general, that technology is used for good.”