The company said the Version 8.0 update will be released in the next two weeks.
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“That’s the whole idea here”. Tesla cars will map radar information and compare it to when the driver brakes. As part of that shift, the radar will use more advanced signal processing to create a better picture of the surrounding world.
Musk said it was “very likely” the improved Autopilot would have prevented the death of Brown, whose vehicle hit the trailer of a truck crossing a highway, but he cautioned that the update “doesn’t mean ideal safety”.
Other updates introduced by Autopilot 8.0 include more prominent alerts with a flashing white border in the instrument panel to better get driver’s attention, and adjustments to make the system drive cars in a smoother manner.
Tesla says one way it will try to prevent false alarms is by using “fleet learning”. Elon Musk explained, “We’re making much more effective use of radar, we weren’t confident that we could resolve false positives where the radar would think that it should brake, but it shouldn’t”. To improve accuracy, the system relies on cloud data gathered from other Autopilot users.
The agency had been briefed on the changes by Tesla and would review them, administration spokesman Bryan Thomas said. The company says that’s a real issue as people become more comfortable with the technology, and may be the cause for some recent crashes.
The Autopilot 8.0 update works with any models from 2014 or later, and so these models will all be affected by the upcoming update. “There won’t ever be zero fatalities, there won’t ever be zero injuries”.
Here’s how the update should impact the Tesla’s abilities.
Silicon Valley-based Tesla is known for its innovation in luxury electric vehicles, but some critics, including rival automakers, have said it was hasty in rolling out Autopilot. Which means that, as always, Tesla drivers are well-advised to keep their hands on the steering wheels and eyes on the road, because if a radar can’t pick up a deer, it definitely won’t “see” a small child.
The current system lets drivers know when their hands have been off the wheel too long, depending on driving conditions.
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The Guardian reported that the driver had been playing Harry Potter during the collision, which was probably why he wasn’t able to take control of the Tesla Model S before it hit the truck.
