Autopilot | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 20 Jan 2017 11:42:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Autopilot | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 U.S. report suggests Tesla autopilot reduces crashes by 40 per cent https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/u-s-report-suggests-tesla-autopilot-reduces-crashes-by-40-per-cent/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/u-s-report-suggests-tesla-autopilot-reduces-crashes-by-40-per-cent/#respond Fri, 20 Jan 2017 11:42:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=318232 A report by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not only vindicated Tesla with regards to the first person to die while using its Autopilot software, but has backed up its safety claims. It turns out that installing Tesla Autopilot software can reduce your chance of being in a car crash by as …

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A report by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not only vindicated Tesla with regards to the first person to die while using its Autopilot software, but has backed up its safety claims. It turns out that installing Tesla Autopilot software can reduce your chance of being in a car crash by as much as 40 per cent.

Although the introduction of Tesla's autopilot, semi-autonomous car software saw many people excited to take their hands off of the wheel, that was dampened somewhat when a few months later a man died while using it. Purportedly neither the driver, nor the software saw a stark white tractor trailer and ploughed right into it.

That raised a lot of concerns from people, who were worried that the autopilot software may make driving more dangerous, rather than less so. With that in mind, the NHTSA launched an investigation, but the results suggest that autopilot was not only not to blame for the accident, but across the board made people far less likely to have them.

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The particular part of the Autopilot software suite that had regulators concerned, was Autosteer, which controls lane positioning and can take over and move you out of the way of potential incidents or obstacles. It was thought that it may not be smart enough to truly help drivers and could possibly cause accidents of its own. However it turns out that Autosteer is the biggest safety improvement with Autopilot and is responsible for most of the reduction in crashes seen in Tesla vehicles.

This brings to an end all regulatory investigations into the accident and goes a long way to vindicate Tesla's software. Although Bloomberg does report that independent body, the National Transportation Safety Board, is still looking into the incident, it has no power to regulate Tesla should it come to a negative conclusion.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Autonomous features have been shown to potentially be as effective at preventing fatalities as the introduction of seatbelts. The impact could be enormous and for that reason alone, it seems foolish not to consider augmenting all cars with some measure of autonomy.

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Germany wants Tesla to stop using ‘misleading autopilot’ name https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/germany-wants-tesla-to-stop-using-misleading-autopilot-name/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/germany-wants-tesla-to-stop-using-misleading-autopilot-name/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2016 10:26:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=308795 While the world and his dog seem to be working on automated car features right now, Tesla was the first to put one out there in the wild. However Germany's federal motoring body has asked it to stop calling its system “autopilot,” because it feels that the term could mislead people into thinking its more …

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While the world and his dog seem to be working on automated car features right now, Tesla was the first to put one out there in the wild. However Germany's federal motoring body has asked it to stop calling its system “autopilot,” because it feels that the term could mislead people into thinking its more capable than it is.

Tesla's autopilot system has been available for over a year now, allowing people to drive on motorways without doing much themselves. It tracks lanes, keeps you at a safe distance from the car in front and in some cases can even go slightly off road to avoid accidents. It even helped one man get to hospital when he was unable to drive and needed immediate medical attention.

But it's lack of response was implicated in the death of one person using the technology, despite Tesla still claiming that road users should not take their eyes off what's ahead.

teslaautopilot

Source: Supremo El Curioso/Youtube

It's that sort of incident that has some worried about the technology, though it's the wording of it that Germany has more of a problem with. The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) sent the letter to Tesla, stating that calling its autonomous assistance features “autopilot,” made it sound like you could take your hands off of the wheel.

“It can be confirmed that a letter to Tesla exists with the request to no longer use the misleading term Autopilot for the driver assistance system of the car,” it said in a statement to Reuters.

Tesla's response has been to deny that autopilot is misleading and that it has always made it clear to customers that they still had to pay attention when the car was in control. It also highlighted the air industry, where pilots with “autopilot,” engaged, were still required to pay attention to the flight.

It also argued that its autopilot feature added an additional layer of safety which could potentially save a lot of lives.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While I see the point of the naming complaint, it sounds like Tesla makes a big point of making people aware of what they're doing when they enable it. That seems fair enough. Drivers have to take responsibility, even if they are enabling an automated feature. 

At least until the legislation catches up with the technology. 

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Musk claims new Tesla autopilot could have prevented death https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/musk-claims-new-tesla-autopilot-could-have-prevented-death/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/musk-claims-new-tesla-autopilot-could-have-prevented-death/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2016 08:28:27 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=305774 Tesla's CEO and founder, Elon Musk, has said of the company's latest autopilot software update, that with the on board radar now utilised as a major sensor rather than a complimentary one, it's very possible that the recent in-car fatality of a Tesla customer could have been prevented. The incident Musk is referring to happened …

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Tesla's CEO and founder, Elon Musk, has said of the company's latest autopilot software update, that with the on board radar now utilised as a major sensor rather than a complimentary one, it's very possible that the recent in-car fatality of a Tesla customer could have been prevented.

The incident Musk is referring to happened in late June, where a freak accident saw a Tesla Model S drive into the side of a white, reflective lorry, ultimately sending the passenger compartment under the side of the vehicle. It highlighted a unique scenario where the autopilot feature was unable to detect the lorry due to the way it's sensor suite works.

However Tesla doesn't believe that would happen with its newly updated autonomous features. It now uses radar just as much as its other sensors, which should make it easier to detect reflective surfaces like the lorry which caused the accident earlier this year. It won't be utilised alone however, as radar is no good at detecting people or non-metallic surfaces, but it will play a much larger role in the overall detection systems employed by Tesla vehicles.

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This was mostly possible because the radar software on all Tesla autopilot vehicles has been upgraded. They can now track up to six times the number of objects, without weakening overall hardware performance. That's a lot more information for the system to work with, which should make it more accurate -as long as there are not too many false positives.

This software 8.0 update will also start leaning on fleet learning to help with autonomous interactions. With instances like road signs, bridges and other potential road-crossing obstacles, Tesla vehicles will learn from real-driver interactions with them to see how they should respond. While the new radar features are being ironed out though, the AIs will take no action at these junctions, just in case.

Other newly added features include augmented breaking that amplify's the driver's breaking in emergencies, radar reflection lets the sensors check for obstacles by bouncing signals on the bottom of the car in front, better instrument panel messages and updates and the car will now automatically leave the motorway if you turn on your indicator.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I still want to give these a couple more updates to become more settled, but when I get chance and can afford it, I'm buying a car with autonomous driving. Reading a book in traffic jams rather than peddle pumping for hours would be so great.

[Thanks Reuters]

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Tesla autopilot saves man’s life by driving him to hospital https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/tesla-autopilot-saves-mans-life-by-driving-him-to-hospital/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/tesla-autopilot-saves-mans-life-by-driving-him-to-hospital/#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2016 10:07:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=302073 Tesla's autopilot feature has gotten a bad rap in recent months after two people were involved in crashes while it was enabled, with one tragically losing their life in the process. Now though it may have redeemed itself somewhat, as the autonomous vehicle feature just saved a man's life by taking him to hospital. The …

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Tesla's autopilot feature has gotten a bad rap in recent months after two people were involved in crashes while it was enabled, with one tragically losing their life in the process. Now though it may have redeemed itself somewhat, as the autonomous vehicle feature just saved a man's life by taking him to hospital.

The man in question was driving home from work in Springfield, Missouri, when he began suffering from what would later be diagnosed as a pulmonary embolism. It manifested itself as a searing pain in his stomach and chest, making it nearly impossible for him to operate his Tesla Model X. Instead of pulling over, the man directed his car to drive him to the hospital, which it promptly did.

He only had to take over when it came to parking the vehicle, some 20 miles of autonomous driving later.

tesla-model-s-autopilot-software-70

Autopilot uses sensors to detect road lines, speed and distance to obstacles

Ultimately his medical complaint was solved and the man in question was very pleased that the feature was there. He thinks it will go on to save many lives in the future and is convinced that had it not been present, he may not have made it to hospital in time. Medical staff too were said to be surprised he was able to make it to hospital in his condition (as per BBC).

“If something like that happens where I become unconscious or incapacitated while I'm driving, I'm not going to cross over the interstate and slam into somebody or slam into one of the big rock walls,” the survivor said in comment.

The other big stories involving autopilot have rarely been this positive, with one recorded death which the NHTSA is investigating. However we did see a video not that long ago of a crash being avoided thanks to the autopilot's reactions.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is exactly why autonomous vehicles are going to change everything. Even at the bare minimum of taking over when people lose the ability to control a vehicle through sleep, inattention or a serious medical condition, it will save countless lives. 

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Tesla may be responsible for first autonomous car death https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/tesla-may-be-responsible-for-first-autonomous-car-death/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/tesla-may-be-responsible-for-first-autonomous-car-death/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2016 08:11:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=297866 Authorities in the U.S. have begun investigating the death of a man after he collided with a lorry in his Tesla Model S while it was using the autopilot mode. Although the legal liability may not lie with Tesla, this marks the first time that a person has died while being driven around by a …

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Authorities in the U.S. have begun investigating the death of a man after he collided with a lorry in his Tesla Model S while it was using the autopilot mode. Although the legal liability may not lie with Tesla, this marks the first time that a person has died while being driven around by a self-piloting car.

Tesla introduced its auto-pilot feature in October last year, allowing drivers to  let the car take over and control speed, lane positioning and distance from the cars in-front on the motorway. It quickly became a popular feature and though Tesla said the responsibility of the car still lay with the driver, even with auto-pilot on, it proved very effective at keeping people safe.

However it is not perfect. In this instance it seems to have been a lack of contrast between a bright white tractor trailer and the sky behind it. Because it was unable to tell the difference, it didn't apply the brakes when the trailer crossed in-front of the unfortunate man's Tesla and it didn't slow down before hitting the trailer.

teslaautopilot

Source: Supremo El Curioso/Youtube

“The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S,” said a Tesla spokesperson.

This height difference meant that many of the Model S' safety features like crumple zones and airbags would have deployed, potentially saving the life of the occupant.

Although there is no legal framework for using auto-pilot features on the road just yet, this incident will raise questions of liability when an autonomous vehicle appears to be at fault. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will now investigate the matter, to determine if Tesla deserves any blame for the incident.

As it stands many governments and authorities around the world are trying to hash out a legal basis for autonomous vehicles. Any one using such features is still considered legally responsibility for the actions of their vehicle for now, but that may change in the future as more and more people prefer to be driven with their hands off the wheel.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is tragic news and terrible timing for proponents of driverless car technology. The statistics suggest it could have major ramifications for road safety, possibly saving as many lives as the introduction of seat belts. There will be hiccups though and unfortunately when you're talking about driving at high speeds, there's always a chance that those accidents will be terrible.

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Elon Musk claims Tesla autopilot halves the number of crashes https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/elon-musk-claims-tesla-autopilot-halves-the-number-of-crashes/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/elon-musk-claims-tesla-autopilot-halves-the-number-of-crashes/#comments Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:12:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=290579 Although there are a lot of companies out there testing autonomous vehicle features like lane assist and smart cruise control, Tesla was the first to provide a near-fully driverless motorway option to Model S owners. While it's had some hiccups, CEO of Tesla Elon Musk, has announced that it has halved the number of crashes …

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Although there are a lot of companies out there testing autonomous vehicle features like lane assist and smart cruise control, Tesla was the first to provide a near-fully driverless motorway option to Model S owners. While it's had some hiccups, CEO of Tesla Elon Musk, has announced that it has halved the number of crashes for regular drivers.

Made available to Model S owners at the tail end of 2015, Tesla's autopilot feature combines automated braking, lane assist and smart cruise control features, to make it possible to drive stretches of motorway without touching the wheel. Tests have shown it performing well for the most part, though there have been a few incidents that forced Tesla to call it semi-autonomous, rather than completely so.

However in recent months, as more people gain access to the feature and its usage becomes more common, we've seen videos of it reacting very quickly to avoid collisions, potentially saving lives in the process.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I5rraWJq6E']

While some of these potential crashes would no doubt have been avoided by a human driver also, by the numbers, the autopilot mode has made Model S owners 50 per cent less likely to get into a crash than without it. This number was announced by Tesla founder and CEO, Elon Musk, himself last week at a Norwegian government conference.

“The probability of having an accident is 50% lower if you have Autopilot on. Even with our first version. So we can see basically what’s the average number of kilometers to an accident – accident defined by airbag deployment. Even with this early version, it’s almost twice as good as a person.”

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Most impressive is that the Model S wasn't built with this in mind. Just imagine what a purpose-built autonomous car could do.

As Gizmodo points out, this number is likely inflated by best-case-scenario usage, the fact that the sample size is quite small and that motorway driving is traditionally not the most accident-prone of roadways. But even if it's a few per cent points, that's still a major achievement. Autonomous driving is making people less likely to crash and that's a very good thing.

Now we just need the Model 3 to launch and we can all begin enjoying these fancy future features.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As much as I'm sure we'll all miss some aspects of driving one day, considering how much time is spent being impeded by other drivers, I doubt I'll be that unhappy to cede control of my car to the robots of the future.

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Tesla Autopilot gets its first speed warning from police https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-autopilot-gets-its-first-speed-warning-from-police/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-autopilot-gets-its-first-speed-warning-from-police/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2015 08:13:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272416 When Elon Musk said that the Autopilot feature that was rolled out to all Model S and Model X owners was probably safe for people, he was mainly thinking about pedestrians that may make the inadvisable move to step out in front of them. He didn't mention anything about the Autopilot leading to a speeding ticket …

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When Elon Musk said that the Autopilot feature that was rolled out to all Model S and Model X owners was probably safe for people, he was mainly thinking about pedestrians that may make the inadvisable move to step out in front of them. He didn't mention anything about the Autopilot leading to a speeding ticket for the person sat behind the wheel, as that's just what's happened to one Model S owner when he was caught speeding down a Florida highway with his hands no where near the wheel.

Tesla's new Autopilot feature improved the automated functions of the Model S and X, making it so that the car can automatically adjust its speed, make minor adjustments to keep the car in-lane,  and even change lane if it needs to. This, theoretically should make it so that the cars can operate in motorway conditions without much input from the driver.

autopilot
Having the car handle traffic jams seems like the biggest blessing

Of course because of the state of roadway legislation, there is no provision for people to remove their hands from the wheel on public roads, so any problems caused by the vehicle is the responsibility of the driver. As the guy behind the video below discovered, when he was pulled over for doing 75 miles per hour in a 60 zone.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CZe5DXeYzw'] Although there is no video of the interaction with police, skip to 12:45 to see the driver discuss it

Despite this hiccup for the driver and the Autopilot feature, data is constantly being sent to Tesla when it's engaged, so the electronic car maker may take information from this incident to better improve its automated features. It may well be that it corrects the speed limit in the particular area that this driver was busted, though having it read signs and do more automated speed-limit checking might be more efficient.

As it stands, the Autopilot feature is restricted to the United Sates. Tesla has said that the automation will reach other Tesla owners overseas this week.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There are going to be problems with this sort of technology. There will likely also be a few deaths when some automated tech hits a person and we're going to have to figure out how to deal with that in the march to an automated future. It's going to be weird and will require some head-scratching but as more of our society relies on robotics and AI for certain functions, there will be some hiccups.

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Tesla updates cars with ‘autopilot,’ first test videos appear online https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-updates-cars-with-autopilot-first-test-videos-appear-online/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-updates-cars-with-autopilot-first-test-videos-appear-online/#respond Thu, 15 Oct 2015 08:13:56 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271831 Although fully automated cars aren't expected to hit our roads until sometime in the 2020s, we're well on our way with a combination of features and safety measures that are now available to Tesla drivers as part of its ‘autopilot' scheme. The update was rolled out to Tesla Model S and X vehicles, making them capable …

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Although fully automated cars aren't expected to hit our roads until sometime in the 2020s, we're well on our way with a combination of features and safety measures that are now available to Tesla drivers as part of its ‘autopilot' scheme. The update was rolled out to Tesla Model S and X vehicles, making them capable of automatically keeping the car aligned with the road, changing lanes if needed and adjusting speed in response to changes in the traffic. Founder of the company, Elon Musk however, did advise caution.

teslamodeauto
The vehicle's sensors keep track of speeds, positions of other cars and the lane itself

He's not worried that the system will rise up and take over the world like his other machine fears, but he's not entirely certain that the autonomous vehicles won't hit something.

“It should not hit pedestrians, hopefully. It should handle them well,” he said during a press event for the new update (via BBC).

He went on to add that we aren't at a stage where the manufacturer is held liable for any problems with the vehicle. As the designated ‘driver,' the person behind the wheel is still 100 per cent responsible for what happens while that vehicle is in motion. That means that even if you had the car in autonomous mode, if it hits something, it's your fault.

So far so good though, as early tests appearing online have shown people in awe of their cars' new ability to drive themselves around. It looks like a somewhat nerve racking experience, especially while you get used to the idea of not being in control, but the potential for improved safety with a system like this is huge. It would also serve – after more testing – as a great method for getting people home from bars after they've had a few.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCAZWdqX_Y']

If this did nothing else but end drunk-driving, it would be a victory, but there's also huge potential for these sorts of autonomous vehicles for people with physically debilitating conditions, or injuries and then for everyone else when they'd rather have a nap on the way to work, read a book or watch a film on that giant TV that the Tesla Model S has in its dash.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you think you would have the confidence to turn on autopilot in your car and trust it to do the right thing? 

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