Getting started with an AAOS application

This tutorial guides you through basic operations that you can do with an application based on an Android Automotive OS (AAOS) image.

In this tutorial, we will be focusing on the following tasks:

  • Creating an application using an AAOS image.

  • Streaming the application you created with a specific screen resolution.

  • Setting the temperature of the automotive using the Vehicle Hardware Abstraction Layer (VHAL) controls.

You can also choose to watch a video of this tutorial on YouTube.

Preparation

We will use the appliance dashboard to perform the tasks for this tutorial. So if you haven’t installed the Anbox Cloud Appliance yet, you must do that first.

Follow the installation instructions available at Install the appliance on a dedicated machine to install and initialise the appliance. Proceed with the tutorial when you can access the appliance dashboard.

Create an AAOS-based application

We need an application to work with, so let’s create one first.

In the Applications screen, add an application (Add Application).

Now, let’s enter the values required for creating the application:

  • Application type: Automotive

    This indicates that the application is for automotive systems.

  • Application name: my-app

  • Resource-type: a4.3

    The default value of a4.3 is sufficient for this tutorial. Resource type indicates a pre-defined set of resources that will be made available for your application.

  • Create the image in a: Container

    Your choice of whether to create the associated image in a container or a virtual machine.

  • Image: jammy:aaos13:amd64

    The image name will indicate what kind of image it is, for example, jammy:aaos13:amd64 is an AAOS image based on Ubuntu Jammy 22.04 for the amd64 architecture.

Confirm with Add application and wait till the Applications list screen shows that your application is ready.

Stream the application

Go to the Instances screen and wait until you see an instance for the created application with a running status.

Click Stream ( stream icon ) to stream the application.

If you want to stream with specific capabilities and display options, create your custom instance from the Instances screen and specify the desired Capabilities and Virtual display options.

Set automotive temperature using the VHAL panel

The dashboard uses self-signed certificates. Before the stream starts, you might see a warning from your browser to accept the certificates manually. You will see the Android UI streaming once you accept the certificate and reload the page.

The controls on the right help you set specific automotive properties.

Now, let’s try setting the temperature of the automotive:

  • Open the HVAC panel (fan icon in the navigation bar at the bottom).

  • Select All VHAL properties on the right.

  • Search for HVAC_TEMPERATURE_DISPLAY_UNITS. This indicates the unit of temperature.

    By default, the HVAC panel displays the temperature in Fahrenheit while the VHAL properties show values in Celsius. To avoid confusion, let’s switch the HVAC panel display to Celsius.

    Update the value from 49 to 50.

  • Now, search for HVAC_TEMPERATURE_SET.

  • Modify the temperatures for Area 1 and Area 2.

  • Save to see your temperature updates reflect on the HVAC panel.

Learn more

Learn about the various supported system properties in the VHAL.

You can also use the Anbox HTTP API to adjust the properties using the CLI.