Watch an oblivious Tesla Model 3 smash into an overturned truck on a highway 'while under Autopilot'
- Reference: 1591060034
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/06/02/tesla_car_crash/
- Source link:
The smash occurred on Monday at 0640 local time (2240 UTC) and the drivers of both vehicles were unharmed according to Taiwan's Liberty Times. You can see the accident for yourself below:
[1]Youtube Video
The crash on the Zhongshan High Chiayi Water Section on National Highway 1 shows a white truck turned on its side, taking up two lanes of the highway. As the Tesla car approached the truck at highway speed, the brakes puffed once and then the flash motor rammed straight into the roof of the truck.
[2]According to the 53-year-old Tesla driver, Mr Huang, he had engaged Autopilot while traveling at 68 MPH (110 KPH). When he saw the truck, he slammed on the brakes, he explained, but it was too late.
The prang reminds us of a [3]previous case where a 40-year-old man was beheaded after his Tesla Model S, while in Autopilot mode, hit a white 18-wheeler tractor trailer in 2016.
Tesla said the vehicle’s Autopilot and driver failed to see the trailer in that particular accident. “The vehicle was on a divided highway with Autopilot engaged when a tractor trailer drove across the highway perpendicular to the Model S," Tesla said in a [4]statement at the time.
"Neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied. 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."
It’s possible the same problem may have occurred in the latest accident. If the driver of the Tesla Model 3 had indeed enabled Autopilot, its software may have had trouble recognizing the truck’s white roof and, therefore, it would have failed to detect it as an obstacle in its path and so it didn’t bother braking – all while the driver may have been distracted or not paying attention.
Autopilot is Tesla's super-cruise-control technology; drivers are supposed to pay attention to the road and be ready to take over even when it is engaged.
The Register has asked Tesla for comment. ®
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsuS0Lyr5gg
[2] http://taiwanenglishnews.com/tesla-on-autopilot-crashes-into-overturned-truck/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2016/06/30/tesla_autopilot_crash_leaves_motorist_dead/
[4] https://www.tesla.com/blog/tragic-loss
I get that the cameras may not have picked out the truck...
...but I thought Teslas had radar too.
Anyone know how it missed this, beyond shitty algorithm not differentiating between white truck and light sky?
Re: I get that the cameras may not have picked out the truck...
I was going to say, how far out front does it radar/lidar function - is it less than it's breaking distance at this speed (which this would seem to confer) as that seems a bit less useful having radar/lidar, might aswell strap a chocolate fireguard to the bonnet...
Re: I get that the cameras may not have picked out the truck...
More to the point, it didn't see a big white "thing" on the black road? Surely an obstruction.
Re: I get that the cameras may not have picked out the truck...
Radar does have issues with recognizing stationary things.
Seriously?
Seriously? The driver can't tell the difference between white lorries and the sky? It's about time these human driving/crashing cars were removed from the roads.
Re: Seriously?
Nice try but if the driver had been in a regular car he'd have been more attentive and more in control.
Re: Seriously?
Nice try, but car driver must always be in control and have put his full attention towards the traffic.
@SJA - Re: Seriously?
Unless of course when you're not actually driving the car. Nice try, Elon!
Re: @SJA - Seriously?
Since tesla has no autonomous cars, someone must be driving the car.
Re: @SJA - Seriously?
If (as I completely agree) Tesla don’t have autonomous vehicle they really ought to stop throwing words like “autopilot” around quite so casually...
@SJA - Re: Seriously?
As can be seen in the video, none of the human drivers of regular cars on the road failed to detect the obstacle.
Re: @SJA - Seriously?
As can be seen in the video, the driver of the tesla failed to detect the obstacle.
Didn't notice a person either
Did you notice the truck driver standing in the lane near the center divider, about where the car's brakes show the puff of smoke, trying to warn off the car? The car didn't notice him either, not just his truck.
Call it what it is
It's not Artificial Intelligence that's driving the car, it's Artificial Guessing.
To put it in charge of driving is deadly.
For that matter, to put it in charge of anything is questionable.
White truck, light sky.
Yet another problem with the cloud
Makes you wonder about Dragon.
It may have had an event free journey journey to the ISS, it may be excellent at minimatoasttl fuel trajectpries to an orbiting target, but I'm guessing that if another satelite crosses its path - it will be toast.
I know there are not that many other things whizzing round at such a LEO and space is a big place but things will be bit more complicated when Dragon's big brother takes a trip to the moon.
Re: Makes you wonder about Dragon.
Why will it be more complicated? By your own admission there will be less things whizzing around Earth-Moon transfer orbits than LEO.
FWIW said transfer orbit is no more or less complicated than rendevous with a space station, possibly less as the Moon is a bigger target :D. (Probably the same as Lunar Gateway would be the target)
This is a driver assist not an autopilot !
They need to combine techniques and multiple systems over larger areas for redundancy and increased AI. At least 4 sensors: Daylight vision, IR, LIDAR & GPS. If just 1 of these systems can see a possible danger then assume this as being correct. If a system has unreliable readings that don't match expectations then slow down, proceed with caution depending on the limits of the other sensors. If there are conditions or objects obscuring the view of the sensor then don't assume everything is perfect. Don't take the sky or lane lines for granted. Watch the driver at all times, if they stop paying attention then alert and slow down until the driver reacts correctly. This is a driver assist system not an autopilot.
Re: It is autopilot but not autonomous
When was the last time you boarded a plane? Didn't you wonder why there's a flight captain and co-captain? I mean the autopilot has been in planes for decades. Sure they don't need pilots anymore if you think it's autonomous.
So, why did you never wonder why there's still a captain and co-captain despite the plane having autopilot?
Re: It is autopilot but not autonomous
Both your questions can be answered with the phrase "Meatbags are stupid". In Tesla's case the driver meatbag in Airplanes cases always the passenger meatbags and some times the pilot meatbags.
Seriously? The car can't tell the difference between white lorries and the sky? It's about time these so self driving/crashing cars were removed from the roads.