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Tesla To Further Restrict Its Autopilot Software To Prevent Accidents (electrek.co)
Tesla is planning to further restrict its Autopilot mode via a v8.0 software update that will make it much harder for drivers to ignore safety alerts. Tesla's Autopilot currently issues alerts on the dashboard "reading Hold Steering Wheel and the driver has to apply pressure on the wheel to make it go away," reports Electrek. "If you quickly respond to those alerts, the Autopilot's Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) do not disengage." The system will disengage if you ignore those warnings for too long. Electrek reports: "Now we learn that Tesla is about to introduce a new restriction with the upcoming v8.0 software update to give more weight to the alerts. According to sources familiar with the Autopilot program, Tesla will add a safety restriction that will result in not only the Autopilot disengaging after alerts are repeatedly ignored, but also blocking the driver from re-engaging the feature after it was automatically disengaged. The driver will not be able to reactivate the Autopilot until the car is stopped and put in 'Park.' So far, it looks like it would only affect the Autosteer feature of the Autopilot and TACC would still be available for the duration of the drive. The goal of the new restriction appears to be to encourage Tesla owners to respond to the visual alert and not to ignore them."
Zzzzzzzzz
It will be ready, one day, but people shouldn't mistake the feature with "fully autonomous driving" until then.
They need to change the feature name to something that doesn't mislead the dimwits out there that it is, in fact, an "automatic pilot".
At best, it's a co-pilot. And that would be a better name for it.
I thought autonomous cars were right around the corner! Guess not!
Tesla To Further Restrict Its Autopilot Software To Prevent Negative Publicity And Lawsuits
FTFY
I'm sure we can rig up some sort of clamp that will take care of this.
Have gnu, will travel.
From what the summary reads it waits until it is absolutely sure that you are not holding the steering wheel... ... and then turns off the autopilot to leave you 'hands fee' careering down the highway!
To keep people safe from abusing the control system, they are going to turn the control system off if people don't respond? I guess this will technically reduce the number of deaths attributed to autopilot. After all, DOT investigations will show that autopilot was off when the Tesla flew off the cliff.
...that doesn't stop till the user deals with the alert.
So the weak yellow therapy bands tied off on each side to apply light pressure both to the grip and the turns.
How about renaming it to something that doesn't suggest it will automatically pilot your car?
So, if I just randomly turn the wheel left & right while watching my movie, it's all good?
I would think after a while the autopilot would notice the driver is making things worse and post something on the dashboard screen along the lines of, "Why don't you take a nap, I can do this driving thing better by myself."
Pretty sure Or the fact that software is not warranted for its attended use.
Is not the right word, but it could be intended, unintended, unattended...
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
"The system will disengage if you ignore those warnings for too long. Electrek reports"
So if you're not paying attention then suddenly you may go careening out of control. I'm not judging this as a good or bad solution to get the driver to participate, but it's the reality. How many people will think they can get away with this (as a couple Tesla owners already do) and then suddenly be in an accident that the autopilot could have avoided if it didn't decide to turn itself off to penalize the driver?
In any case hopefully this works as intended and doesn't leave participating drivers in an unexpected situation.
Twinstiq, game news
Isn't it dangerous to automatically disengage?
What if the driver passed out? Couldn't this lead to MORE accidents?
Wouldn't it be safer for the car to either pull over, or at the very least slow to a stop (and turn on blinkers)?
Or, if you wanted to be annoying to the driver to make them stop doing that, it'll just keep going, but at say 20mph.
So if you REALLY don't care how long it takes to get where you're going.... go ahead let it drive fully auto... you'll just get there in 4hrs instead of 1hr.
can I jailbreak my Tesla?
Oh, so like a locomotive's dead-man's switch.
They should call this new feature the "dead-man's switch."
That name will fit the fate of many of their customers.
Kriston
If it can't pass a driving test it shouldn't be driving. Blaming the buyer for not fixing the autopilot errors, doesn't make it less culpable.
If it only works in some conditions (e.g. freeways), then it should detect its on a road its been tested on, and only let the autopilot switch on, if its known to work on that road. This is less than ideal, it should be able to pass a full driving test, the same as a human driver, but it's early days for these, so perhaps cut them some slack.
People are not idiots, they can drive, the thing that can't drive is the autopilot. That makes the autopilot the idiot.
is that the Tesla will be running a v8.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Seems like they are going back to the safe behavior other car makers choose to adopt.
See VW Lane Assist for example, where you need to keep your hands on the wheel for the system to stay active.
... change the stupid name.
From www.merriam-webster.com:
autopilot
noun autopilot \o-t-p-lt\
Simple Definition of autopilot
: a device that steers a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft in place of a person
Note the "in place of a person". Tesla autopilot is anything but actual autopilot
Prosecute them for false advertising
Again.
It doesn't fucking matter what the state of autopilots for jetliners was a decade ago, you insipid neckbeards. It doesn't matter what you think it means.
Learn how language works, bitches. Words mean what the vox populi say they do.
Autopilot means a magical wonderment that allows humans to fuck off while things fly, or drive.
It's a shit fucking name, and your golden boy Musk, fucked the pooch when he named it.
Perhaps ramping down the time from no hands detect to starting the shutoff. .8, third 15 * .8**2, etc...)
(First time 15 sec, second 15sec *
Or just 3 strikes you're out.
Once the ramp down starts, there should be a time out before restarting the autopilot. Maybe 1/2 hour with car stopped, or next recharge.
The problem here is that you can't fix stupid.
You can only make the car not amplify the problem.
Is anybody starting a betting pool to say how long before there are car hacks to defeat the less than smart driver defeats?
(Perhaps a patent for a fake hand for the wheel.)
: a device that steers a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft in place of a person
Note the "in place of a person".
Note also the "device that steers" (it more or less keeps a trajectory fro the plane/ship, or in the case of cars like BMW, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, etc. it keeps a lane).
Not "device that handle entirely automatically the complete travel from point A to point B" (that would be an *AUTONOMOUS* car, like Google's, some subs in big cities, busses by other startups. Or simply horses and donkeys).
Cars' driving assistance like Tesla's Autopilot actually behave exactly like the autopilot in a plane or on a ship. You just need to actually know what an autopilot actually does.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
How many of us have said the idea of autopilot was half-baked and not ready for primetime for years? People didn't have to die for us to ger here. If it were anyone but silicon valley (more specifically their money, also known as lobbying, also known as bribes) people would be in jail and regulations would be flying all over the place. The lack of not just ethics, but presence of so much actual ignorance, is jaw-dropping in companies that host the so-called brightest in society.
This isn't just Tesla's problem either but every self-drive vehicle that only offers partial automation.
Not sure if you're trolling or just displaying average ignorance from not reading the article, but if autopilot disengages the car will slow to a crawl and not go "careening out of control".
http://cylan.deviantart.com/gallery/
So-called 'self driving cars' are not safe, never will be safe, and should be outlawed completely. Invest the money currently being wasted on 'development' of this useless and dangerous 'technology' and invest it in research into driver education/training reforms that will produce safer drivers. Then introduce legislation reforms of traffic laws and DMV rules/procedures so that bad drivers are caught earlier, given an opportunity to be re-educated and re-trained, and removed, permanently, from behind the wheel if that's not successful. People are getting too lazy and too stupid because there are too many conveniences. Make things that matter like operating a motor vehicle less convenient and more precious and we'll see improvements to how people drive. We'll also improve the average intellegence of people by forcing them to discipline their minds and bodies in ways required if you're going to learn a complex skillset like operating a motor vehicle; driver licensing reforms as outlined above will improve people, in general. Write your political representative today and demand so-called 'self driving cars' be stopped in their tracks and outlawed, permanently. It's better for everyone in the long run.
Permanent pressure on the steering wheel then
This is nothing that can't be solved by duct taping a beer can to the steering wheel...