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ELECTRIC CARMAKER TESLA announced it was upgrading its Autopilot software to use more advanced radar technology.
In a teleconference, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk said the update, which should be downloadable in two weeks for models delivered after October 2014, “very likely” would have saved the life of a Florida driver who died in May after colliding with a truck.
With the latest update, the system would have identified a “large metal object across the road,” Musk said.
The Florida tragedy – the first deadly crash with a driverless system – took place after Autopilot failed to detect the truck due to poor weather and low luminosity.
The radar technology – which will now be used as a primary control sensor, rather than relying on the standard camera system – easily sees through fog, dust rain or snow.
“It should work for something like a moose because a moose is quite a big mass, but it may not work for something like a small deer,” Musk said.
Tesla explained that “the net effect of this, combined with the fact that radar sees through most visual obscuration, is that the car should almost always hit the brakes correctly even if a UFO were to land on the freeway in zero visibility conditions.”
The company’s cars, it said, will also be able to bounce the radar signal under a vehicle it is trailing and still brake, avoiding a potential pile-up should the car in front crash.
“Perfect safety is really an impossible goal,” Musk said in discussing the update, which was developed over the past three to four months.
“It’s about improving the probability of safety. There won’t ever be zero fatalities; there won’t ever be zero injuries.”
The Tesla chief estimated that the new system was a threefold improvement of safety, while stopping short of considering the update a recall of the old system.
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Absolutely amazing that installing a radar feature is a download, rather than a whole new car.
This is the piece of the story I love. Self-drive, I’ll just download that. Radar, yes please download.
It’s awesome.
Radar is present in all autopilot teslas. This is an upgrade of the algorithms interpreting the data.
It won’t be able to miss the potholes in Ireland!
Do you think in major cities pedestrians will just walk across the street regardless of street signals because they know the cars will not hit them. You’ll just have irate drivers in cars that are unable to circumnavigate a crowd people as it’ll stop every time someone gets with in a couple of feet from it.
This guy musk is going to destroy future generations of young people’s dreams of having their first car and learning how to drive.Its amazing how these billionaires get so bored and want to invent something “special”. I think it’s a stupid idea.ok That is MY opinion and I’m entitled to it.thank you!
Auto-drive electric cars will lower road fatalities and stop drink driving and cut back on carbon emissions. So your opinion is stupid.
This guy Ford is going to destroy future generations of younf people’s dreams of having their first horse and learning how to ride. It’s amazing how these millionaires get so board and want to invent something “special”. It think it’s a stupid idea.ok This is MY opinion and I’m entitled to it. thank you!
If you think 1 million road deaths and countless injuries per year is less important than the thrill of getting your first car then you’re opinion (which youre entitled to)is f*cking stupid.
hey brian stop venting its only an opinion. Anger management
Not to mention less traffic jams, since these cars won’t stop in yellow boxes or block lanes – and they’ll actually move immediately once lights go green and indicate correctly on roundabouts, etc.
Like I said smart Alec brian, everyone is entitled to their view.arrogant troll!
My God cian, why the bad language? Very angry little man?
I never said you weren’t entitled to your opinion, Gerry. I said it was stupid.
Less traffic jams because you will be able to overtake on left and give the fingers to the hoggers and the RSA.
If you or someone you know hasn’t been affected by the carnage that regularly takes place on Irish roads then you’re in the vast minority. Taking control from the hands of drivers will be the best thing to ever happen cars.
Cian, would I be right in saying, that includes you? In a manual or auto car I would rather be a passenger of a novice driver than of a driver who only used an autopilot car.
These articles would drive you to drink.
€&@)())!! My autopilot just failed.
We’ve all had issues with computers whether they’re affected by viruses, overheating or just shutting down for no reason. It’s not so bad when the consequence is that your smartphone doesn’t send the e-mail right or that you need to turn your laptop off and on again, but not so much when it’s whizzing you round at high speed. Would it be vulnerable to hacking? Would it vulnerable to malware?
While this is certainly an exciting development, I think I’ll be sticking to manual for a good while yet…
Computers already control autopilot in airplanes, most of air traffic control, electricity grid, logistic to feed the world, missile targeting, nuclear reactors, life support machines and drug dosages in hospitals, banking and all the worlds money. So it’s naive to say you don’t trust them with your life….
Second of all your PC and smartphone are built to be consumer electronics, they break down simply because given there’s no risk in them doing so no one would justify paying a multiple of the purchase price and waiting for twice as long in the development cycle.
There’s a reason my Tesla cost me €95k and still isn’t profitable to produce yet.
ive always thought that cars should be able to communicate with each other so that a car 4 vehicles in front braking sharply would have a domino effect back thru the traffic automatically applying the brakes of cars within a 200 metre area behind it – same scenario if a car in front is turning right that should you decide to overtake not knowing that someone is turning right the car would know already and prevent you from overtaking thus preventing an accident
Those who have driven an autopilot for a few years sits into a manual would be more likely to crash for their defensive skills would be deteriorated.
Is this a bad attempt at a haiku?
have your say