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Tesla Autopilot Safety Defeat Device Gets a Cease-and-Desist From NHTSA (autoblog.com)

schwit1 writes: The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) is cracking down on a device that was designed to trick Tesla's semi-autonomous Autopilot feature into thinking a driver is paying attention, in order to extend the amount of time that it will operate without anyone touching the steering wheel. NHTSA announced on Tuesday that it has sent a cease and desist letter to the makers of Autopilot Buddy, and has given the company until June 29 to end sales and distribution of the $199 product.

The device is a two-piece weighted hoop with magnets that wraps around a steering wheel spoke and registers with the car's sensors as a hand on the wheel. Autopilot is programmed to disengage after a short period of time if the driver is not touching the wheel and ignores a series of alerts to take control.unity.

3 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Liability... by Knuckles · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You can also knit a rope and hang yourself, but being on sale as a ready-made product will give it legitimacy in the eyes of some that it shouldn't have

    --
    "When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
  2. Re:Liability... by CaptainDork · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Been there.

    Texaco refinery, Port Arthur, Texas.

    The operators stuffed red rags into the alarm horns and, sure enough, 8 people died on a unit where instruments showed there was sufficient time to get out of harm's way had the sound not been muffled.

    I remember my dad pulling the wire of the "ding, ding," of the lap belt warning.

    People take batteries out of smoke detectors.

    I think the answer is for the goddam artificial intelligence to be fucking intelligent.

    Until then, don't beta test the goddam thing in production.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  3. Re:Ironic by fluffernutter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The thing that is flawed is that Tesla doesn't seem to be willing to acknowledge common human traits. A car is requires a human to interact with it properly in order to not kill or injure anyone. Humans have flaws, yet Tesla seems to think they can pick the ones that they should feel liable for even though these human flaws are well known and completely predictable. They are acknowledging technology can augment a human to make them a better driver, yet failing to acknowledge that their technology just brings out the flaw of having poor reaction times when not being completely engaged with the driving.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.