New Tesla Update Should Halve Autopilot Crashes

To be fair there haven't yet been many crashes where Tesla's Autopilot system has been fully to blame, but company founder Elon Musk says the latest software update should halve the system's serious errors
New Tesla Update Should Halve Autopilot Crashes

Tesla has released a remote update that should cut Autopilot accidents ‘in half’, says Elon Musk.

Major upgrades to the radar system software as part of Version 8 mean that Tesla cars will be able to bounce photons beneath the car in front to see whatever’s in front of that, picking up data that will allow Autopilot to react to the obstruction even if the driver can’t see it – and even if the driver in front doesn’t see it.

Remote video URL

The company has had big problems trying to overcome the challenges posed by using radar in such a localised way, due to the odd ways the technology reacts to different objects and shapes. Tesla cites “a discarded soda can”, which when the concave base is facing the car “can appear to be a large and dangerous obstacle.”

New Tesla Update Should Halve Autopilot Crashes

The so-called ‘false alarm’ braking that would result from this has left radar on the sidelines behind the main Autopilot cameras and image processors. But now, Version 8 is allowing the same radar hardware to see six times as many radar-detectable objects and with a lot more information per object, the firm says.

By taking radar data every tenth of a second and comparing “several contiguous frames against vehicle velocity and expected path”, the system can now reportedly distinguish what is a real obstacle and what is a false alarm.

These false positives will be logged in the Tesla mainframe and eventually ignored by all the company’s cars.

New Tesla Update Should Halve Autopilot Crashes

Other areas will be taken care of by fleet learning, where over time, if a number of Teslas see a potential crash according to Autopilot but travel through it safely, that spot and those visual and radar criteria are eventually registered as safe. Complex stuff.

Initially, though, at places where there isn’t enough readable info for the car to react, it will do nothing. So it’s still not time to completely switch off behind the wheel. We’re looking at you, Autopilot abusing morons

Comments

RoyP

But does it come with a manual transmission??

09/12/2016 - 09:54 |
14 | 3
Kei Cars Are My Jam

In reply to by RoyP

Its only got one gear, so i guess if you’re liberal with the description; yes it kinda does.

09/12/2016 - 10:28 |
27 | 0
Nissan 420sx

The only date where the autopilot changes are on updates smh

09/12/2016 - 09:55 |
2 | 0

I feel your pain. My phone only have 4gb to start and none left

09/12/2016 - 14:47 |
0 | 0
RoyP
09/12/2016 - 09:58 |
50 | 1
bcrm

If people are going to treat this car as fully autonomous on the motorway then really what the Model S needs are extra sensors installed at a higher position so that it can detect truck trailers. The cars system thinks it’s just a floating mattress at the moment and wouldn’t take action as it can’t actually see it.

09/12/2016 - 10:16 |
2 | 0
ModernChaos

In reply to by bcrm

Not saying you’re wrong or anything, but can you site a source for this? I’d be curious to see why it wouldn’t detect a trailer

09/13/2016 - 11:46 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Update failed! Free up some space? (Main problem when i update meh phone)

09/12/2016 - 10:39 |
3 | 0
JenstheGTIfreak (pizza)

Read the title wrong - thought it said ‘new tesla update should have autopilot crashes’

09/12/2016 - 10:44 |
11 | 0

I did the same thing. But I was more interested than after I read the title properly

09/13/2016 - 14:45 |
0 | 0
Poke

credit to Geobaz

09/12/2016 - 15:28 |
8 | 0
Jefferson Tan(日産)

In reply to by Poke

GeoBaz

09/21/2016 - 07:59 |
0 | 0
Joel Peñaló

“Tesla.exe has performed an illegal action due to a conflict with Dank_Memes.dll and will now shut down. Current progress will not be saved”

09/12/2016 - 15:55 |
9 | 0
Black Phillip

Or you could just drive the f*ckin thing yourself.

Or not support this idiot and not get a Tesla at all.

09/12/2016 - 17:33 |
1 | 2

Yeah screw electric cars. Who cares about trying to save the environment, amiright?

09/12/2016 - 19:15 |
0 | 0
TeslaKid

Yay

09/12/2016 - 17:37 |
1 | 1

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