Model 3 Autopilot blind spots in front, be careful!

[Jtt777]

I'm not sure how much other people have tested this but I think there are deficiencies in how well the Model 3 sees around the front left and right of the car, specifically objects perpendicular to the front wheels or approaching the front corners.

Here's the situation, imagine you car is merging into traffic on the left and another cars rear right wheel is about the same place as your front left wheel. I don't think autopilot sees this! Today, with that same situation, the Tesla was ready to plow right into this car. The front camera can't see it, because i checked the dash cam, but I would think the wide or side cameras should. I let the car probably get within a foot and I had to take back control.

This is also similar to car cutting the front right or left corner of the Tesla while the Tesla is moving slightly faster than the car that is doing the cutting. I don't think the autopilot will see this either! Perhaps if it got to the point of the ultrasonic sensing it, something would have happened but I can't risk getting closer.

I don't see how they can handle higher levels of autonomous driving and even do better merging in urban areas unless they have better situational awareness in these situation. And yes, I know we should be vigilant in merges but it needs to get better here.

To be clear, I really like autopilot a lot but this corner car vulnerabilities seem like a gap. So when I am driving, this is what I am most worried about.

Any others feel this?

 

[Jtt777]

Really, no one?

 

[lolder]

The eight exterior cameras see a complete 360 degrees and each one slightly overlaps the adjacent one's view. The car usually doesn't take evasive maneuvers until the proximity sensors show somewhere less than about a foot or 2 of distance. That's probably too simple a description as closure rate is surely in the calculation also.

 

[Tam]

...see...

I don't think it's a matter of blindspot or sensors but it's a matter of software.

The software is not matured enough to handle difficult cases such as merging and being cut off in front.

Someone needs to write that program to a competent level or maybe Tesla will leave that to AI to figure that out itself.

 

[PoitNarf]

I don't think it's a matter of blindspot or sensors but it's a matter of software.

The software is not matured enough to handle difficult cases such as merging and being cut off in front.

Someone needs to write that program to a competent level or maybe Tesla will leave that to AI to figure that out itself.

I agree. I don’t trust autopilot to do any “advanced” maneuvers, yet. As soon as I see a potential situation it may not be able to handle on its own I take over control. I would never let it attempt a merge maneuver with the current version of autopilot.

 

[sperkin]

Really, no one?

Autopilot is not designed for merging yet. That part of the code is not ready. It's like saying Autopilot ran a red light or a Stop sign.

AP only slows or stops when a majority of the object is on front of your car. If a car is riding on the lines and sticking on part of your lane, AP will ignore it and may hit them. I have to take over on near double wide trucks cause AP dont care.

 

[ngogas]

AP has not support merge use cases yet.

 

[woodisgood]

Sometimes FSD - the kind where you could nap or read a book in the backseat - seems so far away. When I drive, especially around the city, it just seems like moment after moment of edge cases.

 

[Jtt777]

Sometimes FSD - the kind where you could nap or read a book in the backseat - seems so far away. When I drive, especially around the city, it just seems like moment after moment of edge cases.

Yeah they really need to build in something about detecting cars around edges better. I know we aren’t supposed to be relying on the car for merges but even outside of that in heavy traffic urban areas you inevitably have these situations appear

 

[woodisgood]

Yeah they really need to build in something about detecting cars around edges better. I know we aren’t supposed to be relying on the car for merges but even outside of that in heavy traffic urban areas you inevitably have these situations appear

Sorry, I meant "edge cases" as in the cases encountered during driving that are more rare, difficult to predict, and often seem to require human intuition and possibly communication to navigate safely. But edge cases do often involve the edges of the vehicle, and a lot of situations that may arise during merging could be considered edge cases.

 

[JeffK]

I don't think it's a matter of blindspot or sensors but it's a matter of software.

Exactly, we know for sure that these areas are covered by the cameras and they will detect vehicles in these locations.

Whether or not the software is programed to do something is another story.

 

[Reeler]

EAP and FSD will be in perma-beta forever is my prediction. Expect the features to never achieve the Tesla promises. If they do make an advance, your expectations will have been so low that it would be a pleasant surprise.