Elon Musk took to Twitter to hint at Tesla improving the Bosch radar sensor on its Autopilot system. This comes after a whirlwind of press coverage and much talk over the first Autopilot fatality. The accident, where Tesla’s Autopilot failed to recognize the white side of a truck against a bright sky, killed the driver instantly. While there’s certainly some blame to be given to the Autopilot system, it is important to note that the driver was not paying attention to the vehicle or his surroundings when the accident happened.
Tesla’s system explicitly states the Autopilot system is in beta and drivers must keep hands on the wheel and eyes on the road no different from any other vehicle. In this case the driver was distracted with a portable DVD player watching a movie.
Promising call today with @BoschGlobal, maker of our radar sensor. Looks like significant improvements possible via OTA software update.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 17, 2016
Btw, want to thank both Bosch and MobilEye for their help and support in making Autopilot better. Please direct all criticism at Tesla.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 17, 2016
Thursday, Musk tweeted that the company is working on changes that would “decouple” the Autopilot’s radar from its cameras and allow the radar to spot objects with fewer data points. Car sensors produce so much data that computers can’t process it all. So fewer data points are needed for self-driving systems to work.
The company has taken a lot of heat over this accident and other incidents that have been reported surrounding the feature but Musk seems determined to swat the criticism away. While there is a conversation to be had about the technology and how to make it safer, we cannot dismiss the human factor in using the technology. Perhaps we’re just not ready to be trusted with such a responsibility?
What do you think of Elon Musk’s tweets? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
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