The updated Tesla Autopilot 8.0 will come via an over-the-air software update for the operating system of Tesla cars within the next one or two weeks, including for cars in the UK.
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Tesla [NSDQ:TSLA] on Sunday provided the first details on a software update that addresses some of the shortcomings of its semi-autonomous driving aid known as Autopilot.
Tesla vehicles now have cameras to confirm visual image recognition.
The automaker has received scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for accidents that have occurred while Autopilot was engaged. And with this update it should improve its safety. “I think it’s about going from good to great”.
In a blog post, Musk said the radar, initially a “supplementary sensor” can now be used as a “primary control centre”.
Radar was added to all Tesla vehicles in October 2014; Autopilot technology was introduced at the same time but not activated for another year. The organization believed that the technology’s name misled drivers and hence, it should be renamed.
With the new update, Autopilot will disable itself if the driver ignores warning messages to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. “It’s about improving the probability of safety”. In the accident, an OH man was killed when his Model S auto into Autopilot mode crashed into a tractor-trailer. According to Tesla, they will be adding an advanced signal processing feature to better identify the vehicle’s surroundings. “Even if you’re driving down the road and the visibility is very low and there’s a multi-car pile up, the camera can’t see it, but the radar would and apply the brakes”, said Tesla. “Slamming on the brakes is critical if you are about to hit something large and solid, but not if you are merely about to run over a soda can”.
Those radar snapshots, which take place every tenth of a second, are assembled into a 3D “picture” of the world.
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The effect of the update as Tesla CEO Elon Musk puts it, “the auto should nearly always hit the brakes correctly even if a UFO were to land on the freeway in zero visibility conditions”.
