LCA2019 Donkey Car
linux.conf.au 2019's Open Hardware Miniconf included a Donkey Car self-driving car kit designed by the Open Hardware Miniconf team, assembled by participants, and used for TensorFlow-based driving experiments.
linux.conf.au Open Hardware Miniconf
linux.conf.au 2019 Open Hardware Miniconf
The January 21-25, 2019 Christchurch linux.conf.au edition whose Open Hardware Miniconf included a source-backed Donkey Car self-driving car kit lineage built around Raspberry Pi camera control and TensorFlow training.
University of Canterbury, Christchurch · New Zealand · 2019
Lifecycle
Add-ons & Upgrades
LCA2019 Donkey Car
source-backed
TensorFlow training-data workflow
The miniconf workflow gathered training video from the car and analyzed it offline with TensorFlow before attendees tried self-driving runs.
LCA2019 Donkey Car
source-backed
Raspberry Pi camera car platform
Marc Merlin's first-hand report documents a Donkey Car kit with an onboard camera connected to a Raspberry Pi and a custom last-minute Raspberry Pi HAT.
LCA2019 Donkey Car
source-backed
Open Hardware Miniconf context
The official linux.conf.au 2019 miniconfs page anchors the Donkey Car work inside the Monday Open Hardware Miniconf and its beginner-to-advanced hardware/software framing.
LCA2019 Donkey Car
source-backed
Participant assembly and driving track
Participants assembled the cars, manually drove them around the track to collect training data, and then attempted autonomous driving after model training.
Operational history
Issues & Camp Impact
LCA2019 Donkey Car
note
The source trail proves a Donkey Car robotics and machine-learning kit used in the Open Hardware Miniconf, not a conference-wide admission credential.
The entry is modeled as an LCA hardware-kit artifact in the badge lineage while avoiding claims about attendee identity-badge issuance.
LCA2019 Donkey Car
note
No Donkey Car image is published because the recovered attendee photos and event pages have not been paired with complete source URL, license or permission basis, attribution, and processing notes for catalogue publication.
The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying attendee photos, thumbnails, screenshots, or generated imagery.
LCA2019 Donkey Car
note
The public trail documents the Donkey Car kit, Raspberry Pi camera control, TensorFlow training-data workflow, participant assembly, and self-driving attempts, but this pass did not recover a stable schematic, BOM, model archive, firmware repository, kit quantity, or explicit project license.
The record keeps hardware and software claims to official event context and first-hand evidence until deeper project archives are recovered.
Resources
LCA2019 Donkey Car attendee writeup
first-hand attendee writeup · Marc Merlin's Open Hardware Miniconf report documenting the Donkey Car kit, Raspberry Pi camera control, custom HAT, TensorFlow training workflow, and self-driving attempts.
linux.conf.au 2019 Open Hardware Miniconf
miniconf page · Official miniconf source documenting the Monday Open Hardware Miniconf and its beginner-to-advanced hardware/software focus.
linux.conf.au 2019 programme overview
programme page · Official programme source documenting the January 21-25, 2019 Christchurch event context and miniconf/tutorial structure.
Sources
Marc Merlin: Donkey Car with Tensorflow Video Analysis at Open Hardware Miniconf
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · First-hand attendee source for the Donkey Car kit, Open Hardware team design claim, Raspberry Pi onboard camera, TensorFlow training-data workflow, participant build, and self-driving attempts.
linux.conf.au 2019: Miniconfs
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source proving the 2019 Open Hardware Miniconf as a Monday linux.conf.au stream covering software and hardware issues from beginner to advanced topics.
linux.conf.au 2019: Programme Overview
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source for the January 21-25, 2019 University of Canterbury, Christchurch conference setting and miniconf/tutorial framing.