What The Tesla Crashes Can Teach Us About The Future Of Self-Driving Cars

[FrodosPet]

What The Tesla Crashes Can Teach Us About The Future Of Self-Driving Cars

http://www.fastcompany.com/3061850/what-the-tesla-crashes-can-teach-us-about-the-future-of-self-driving-cars

EMILY PRICE | 07.15.16 2:00 PM

The journey to a future dominated by autonomous vehicles hit a few speed bumps recently, with news of not one but two crashes, one them fatal, involving Teslas operating in autonomous driving mode. The collisions raise questions about how far self-driving cars really are from being safe enough for widespread adoption, and if the issues—human or computer—should be a roadblock toward that goal.

"The technology isn't ready. Evolution of the new technology has to unfold over time, and it's hard to say how long that will take," says Michael Clamann, senior research scientist at Duke University’s Humans and Autonomy Lab (HAL).

"For semi-autonomous cars, we need reliable systems that keep the driver aware of what is going on around them and that can quickly and effectively return control in the event of an emergency. For fully autonomous cars we need sensors and algorithms that are effective enough to work in all conditions and account for all possible contingencies. For both, we need a regulatory environment that sets standards for everyone's safety."

~ snip ~

"I think it’s reasonable to believe that the reason that Tesla didn’t put the laser in is because it’s not quite there in terms of expense. The radar has been automotive grade for a while, so that’s been inexpensive enough to include in cars, and cameras are quite cheap nowadays. The main issue with cameras is that you get a lot of information from them and you typically have to use a lot of computing to interpret the information. So there’s a bit of an issue there."

~ snip ~

[Gabi Hayes]

1. Skynet will fix everything

[FrodosPet]

3. Someday, when the police want to talk to you

They won't have to send a squad car to pick you up. You will get in your car, thinking you are on your way to pick up some rolling papers and some little chocolate donuts. The doors will lock, the windows will roll up, and the car will drive you to the police station. There will be nothing you can do except sit there or break out a window.

[jcgoldie]

8. Good shopping list

[saidsimplesimon]

2. I want Tesla to keep

automobiles safe from technology glitches. If they fail, we all lose the future of vehicles operating on renewable energy. Get that battery fixed Tesla, and stop with the vehicles that can be hacked.

[nationalize the fed]

4. "If they fail, we all lose the future of vehicles operating on renewable energy."

Total nonsense.

Toyota is light years ahead of Tesla in every way, and they paved the electric road with the Prius. Toyota has Billions in the bank, they sell about 10 MILLION cars per year (vs. Tesla's burning $300 million per quarter and their hope of selling 90,000 cars this whole YEAR) and Toyota cars don't need to be fixed every few months (see http://teslamotorsclub.com)

Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, BMW and Mercedes all see the future differently than Musk. Time will tell who's right.

(Translation provided)

Tesla will be lucky to still be in business to roll out their next (mostly coal powered- most electricity in the US comes from coal still) car.

[saidsimplesimon]

5. I don't agree.

I'm an American Made, Union supporter. Remember the cries of "impossible" followed by the landing of the "Eagle"?

[Initech]

6. Wasn't the fatal crash caused by a guy watching a movie while driving?

[FrodosPet]

9. It was a guy watching Harry Potter, thinking his car was more competent than it really was

Cameras are an EXTREMELY important part of any high level vehicle automation. However, despite what Elon Musk thinks, they cannot handle the job by themselves.

Tesla uses cameras, but NOT LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging - the laser version of Radar). This is a mistake for anyone trying to build an automated / autonomous car that has a high degree of awareness and certainty.

Cameras provide enormous amounts of data which requires an enormous amount of processing. They can measure distances - but not very exactly if the object it is measuring does not have sharp and clear contrasts. It can figure out what some things are, such as road signs, cars, etc. which have distinct colors and features, but when things start getting fuzzy, they just cannot figure it out in the 1/20th of a second "frame" in which the car needs a complete picture to provide the proper steering, acceleration, and braking instructions.

And then, there is solar or bright light (headlights, streetlights, etc.) washout. This was the case in the fatal Tesla accident. As I understand it, the cameras were washed out by the sun, and the system saw the truck as being an elevated road sign.

[whatthehey]

10. If Musk thinks they can, why does his company say otherwise, as you have been told before?

This is simple dishonest FUD bullshit. For honest people, see what Tesla thinks Autopilot really is here...

https://www.tesla.com/presskit/autopilot

Tesla requires drivers to remain engaged and aware when Autosteer is enabled. Drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel.

[FrodosPet]

11. Tesla removes 'self-driving' from China website after Beijing crash

So do you think parts of Tesla has not been erroneously promoting their vehicles as "Self Driving"?
[hr]
Tesla removes 'self-driving' from China website after Beijing crash

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-china-crash-idUSKCN10Q0L4

By Jake Spring and Alexandria Sage | Mon Aug 15, 2016 3:04pm EDT

Tesla removed a Chinese term for "self-driving" from its China website after a driver in Beijing who crashed in "autopilot" mode complained that the car maker overplayed the function's capability and misled buyers.

The Tesla driver crashed earlier this month while on a Beijing commuter highway after the car failed to avoid a vehicle parked on the left side but partially in the roadway, damaging both cars but causing no injuries.

It was the first known such crash in China, although it follows a fatal accident in Florida earlier this year that put pressure on auto executives and regulators to tighten rules for automated driving.

~ snip ~

Reuters was first to report last week that Tesla said it downloaded data from the Beijing car and confirmed it was in autopilot mode at the time of the crash, although the driver was not detected to have his hands on the wheel.

~ snip ~

[whatthehey]

13. My Chinese is not good enough to know. Yours?

Did their Chinese instructions magically forget the clear black letter content that drivers need to stay aware and have their hands on the wheel?

Can I sue Harley Davidson because none of their motorcycles glide?

[FrodosPet]

17. By any chance, did you read the complete article?

Or did you just jump straight into "Tesla is wonderful! Tesla is perfect! Everyone who sells Teslas is an honest angel who would NEVER overstate the capabilities of the technology!" mode?

[whatthehey]

7. Bugger all, since they don't make one.

[FrodosPet]

12. They WANT to make one, sooner than they are ready

Elon Musk Says Tesla Vehicles Will Drive Themselves in Two Years

http://fortune.com/2015/12/21/elon-musk-interview/

by Kirsten Korosec | DECEMBER 21, 2015, 2:00 PM EDT

In Elon Musk’s world, “easy” is used to describe problems many might consider impossible—or at least very difficult to solve. Producing a fully autonomous vehicle that can operate in any condition and on any road, for example, is easy-ish. And Tesla Motors , the all-electric automaker that Musk heads, is two years away from achieving it.

“I think we have all the pieces, and it’s just about refining those pieces, putting them in place, and making sure they work across a huge number of environments—and then we’re done,” Musk told Fortune with assuredness during his commute to SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., where he is also CEO. “It’s a much easier problem than people think it is. But it’s not like George Hotz, a one-guy-and-three-months problem. You know, it’s more like, thousands of people for two years.”

~ snip ~

Musk doesn’t sound angry as he explains the differences between what Tesla is doing and Hotz’s self-driving car. But there’s a hint of irritation in his voice—perhaps because he’s spending so much time defending Tesla’s product, instead of working on it.

~ snip ~

Each component—sensors, mapping, GPS navigation, cameras—is critical to achieve some level of autonomous driving. Cars need to be able to do more than just detect objects to be fully autonomous. They must also understand what they’re seeing, and learn from that experience— tasks that require a staggering amount of processing power.

~ snip ~

[whatthehey]

14. Your FUD will not stop progress. Self driving cars WILL be but ARE NOT yet available

to the general public. Progress towards them may be swift or halting, but obstacles will be overcome. Tesla does not sell any car which is self driving and has from the beginning released clear instructions that Autopilot requires driver attention and control at all times, as I have documented, and as you have misrepresented, multiple times.

[FrodosPet]

16. I see you LOVE dropping the FUD bomb

It's almost like you are saying,

"I want SDCs NOW! How dare you criticize his holiness, Elon Musk! You hate progress!"

I have been following this technology since the original DARPA Grand Challenge. I know that once the algorithms are developed and tested, and the processing power and sensor resolution and reliability are up to the task, then self driving cars will be in a position to drive more safely than humans.

When it comes to controlling 2 tons of rolling, potentially deadly mass, we need to get it RIGHT! I am sorry if my desire for public safety is delaying your first SDC ride.

[CBGLuthier]

15. Tesla does not make a self-driving car. On the other hand

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3108493/car-tech/ford-to-offer-self-driving-cars-without-steering-wheels-by-2021.html


Ford Motor Co. today announced its plans to begin mass producing a fully autonomous vehicle by 2021 that it will sell for ride hailing markets such as Uber.

Ford's vehicle will be manufactured with no steering wheel, no gas or brake pedal. In other words, a driver will not be required.