Musk Says ‘Augmented Mode’ Coming to 2020 Roadster

That the next-generation Tesla Roadster will have an “Augmented Mode” designed to “massively enhance human driving ability,” according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1004937330409418753

“Like a flying metal suit,” he tweeted in a reference to comic book superhero Iron Man’s tech-powered suit of armor. He did not offer any technical details or descriptions of how “Augmented Mode” would operate.

If “Augmented Mode” proves to “massively enhance human driving ability,” let’s hope other cars can have the feature too.

Tesla watchers believe Musk was referring to an augmented reality technology, which places computer-generated images into a user’s view of the real world. You can imagine a range of applications for the car, from maps, to safety warnings, to highlighting roadside services or attractions.

Musk said the feature is aimed at improving driving, which makes sense considering the ferocious nature of the upcoming Roadster. The base version clocks a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 8.9 seconds at 250 mph. Again, that’s the base version. It may take a superhero to pilot the performance model.

The next generation Roadster is scheduled for release in 2020.

 

[whitex]

At least he has a vision and is actively following it. What about you?

So your argument here is that what I do or don't so somehow makes or doesn't make Elon a Mars colonizer?

 

[Klaas]

New

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

At least he has a vision and is actively following it. What about you?

There's vision and there's hallucinations, and its sometimes hard to spot the difference with Musk.

 

[CarlK]

There's vision and there's hallucinations, and its sometimes hard to spot the difference with Musk.

Not true. Elon is a physicist and first principle thinker. That you could not comprehend his visions does not make them hallucinations.

 

[SOULPEDL]

Sometimes all it takes is for someone to say "what if..." then all the walls come down and the creative process starts again (after being stuck so often). He's inviting it among us and we could actually help in that way. We all bring something to the table because no one person can possibly have the experience of everyone combined. Especially for this Canadian!

Other times, it's just a teaser for the media or a distractor for the competition... like when he said "if the Y has a steering wheel." He could, but we also want to drive too. He wouldn't actually do that until about 2030 (people are so passive that "control" looks scary and dangerous - very sad). Unless of course he competes directly with Uber types. In that case, it's an open seat potential - driver or passenger? Depends on the target market. Myself, I want Y as a driver. Besides, it's my duty to help teach it for a while. And just in writing this, I think I'd have it do both with a removable steering wheel. Did you think the same thing? Meanwhile, most box thinkers are still thinking "with or without... must decide." Maybe my M3 could have a removable steering wheel already? Why couldn't it? Just leave the pedals in, for now and leave the brakes for last.

And his LIDAR comment, another example to make box thinkers lose confidence. There's probably some PhD out there doing a cost-benefit analysis of changing the laser frequency already. Meanwhile, they could just add radar, some sensor fusion, and be fine in the fog. Maybe that was a slip up. Maybe I should shut up now.

What were we talking about?

 

[electracity]

What Musk is probably talking about is an expanded version of what is available on supercars. Variable drift control is one example.

 

[whitex]

Not true. Elon is a physicist and first principle thinker. That you could not comprehend his visions does not make them hallucinations.

Isn't time a physics concept? Elon doesn't seem to grasp it really well. Horsepower also is a physics concept which Elon seems to have very fuzzy understanding as he tried to tell us 463hp in an EV equals 691hp somehow. Also his ideas, for example parking sensor based body side monitoring are sometimes so naive, could have been easily disproven with a few days worth of experimentation, but no, he produced it first, then released the software, then removed the feature from the website. Same with AP2 FSD, I just used AP1 BSM as an example because it is a failure already while FSD has a cleaver fine print which will allow fanboys to defend it even if the AP2 cars are not self driving 20 years from now - "they are going through software validation and government approval".

Elon was a visionary and had accomplished a lot before, more than most people ever will, then he got high on his success and his visions started being replaced with hallucinations. I'm worried he's following Nikola Tesla footsteps, who also was a genius but died crazy and alone.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

if the Roadster does have a HUD, there will be plenty who think he invented it. If the sat nav is overlaid on a camera pictures he’ll have invented that too despite Merc already having it in the market. He wants to invent Waze and be able to send locations and routes to the car from the app, just like BMW have been doing for years.

He’s good, don’t get me wrong, but he’s given credit for stuff he shouldn’t be.

 

[diplomat33]

Musk just tweeted this about the "SpaceX package". I can't tell if he is joking or not:

SpaceX option package for new Tesla Roadster will include ~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car. These rocket engines dramatically improve acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering. Maybe they will even allow a Tesla to fly …

Elon Musk on Twitter

Is the roadster really going to have tiny thrusters all around it for vector thrustering???

 

[whitex]

Musk just tweeted this about the "SpaceX package". I can't tell if he is joking or not:

Elon Musk on Twitter

Is the roadster really going to have tiny thrusters all around it for vector thrustering???

The only way to meet the advertised 0-100mph?

Also double-serves as an anti-theft and anti-highjacking option. It will be really easy to pick the smash and grab thieves out of the crowd - the ones with rocket exhaust burns!

 

[whitex]

Will those be electric thrusters??? Or is the Roadster going to require rocket fuel? Is this what the new generation supercharger unveil is going to bring - rocket fuel at superchargers?

 

[Model S M.D.]

Tony Stark has been around a lot longer than Elon...

However Elon did do a cameo in Iron Man 2, telling Tony he wanted to talk with him about a new idea... maybe this is Iron Car! Figuratively speaking that is.

Tony Stark the character has been around alot longer than Elon Musk. However, Robert Downey, Jr. sat down with the Iron Man director and discussed how to actually make a Tony Stark character that the audience would believe and connect with. Downey, Jr is the one who suggested that the best way to do it would be to meet with Elon, observe his mannerisms, pick his brain, etc. So although Tony Stark is not based on EM, Downey's portrayal of him in the movie from an acting perspective is loosely based on the real life EM.

Excerpt from an article,

"After meeting Musk, Favreau (director of the movie) was very impressed and Downey Jr. and he decided to go ahead and base parts of the Tony Stark character on Musk. As Favreau stated: “Elon Musk makes no sense — and that’s the reason I know him. When I was trying to bring the character of genius billionaire Tony Stark to the big screen in Iron Man, I had no idea how to make him seem real. Robert Downey Jr. said, ‘We need to sit down with Elon Musk.’ … Downey was right. Elon is a paragon of enthusiasm, good humor and curiosity — a Renaissance man in an era that needs them.” The resulting Tony Stark character was then just more or less a more flamboyant version of Elon Musk, with some of the extra flamboyance being inspired by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison."

 

[J X 3]

Interesting how this was interpreted.

When someone complains about autonomy leading to a ban on human drivers, i argue that there is no need for a ban. the AI can supervise the human, allow some freedom but not much and that way, even a 4yo could drive.

So this is how I see this feature, the AI assists the driver but really the AI is in charge.
Could be something less evolved at first, like the car decides how much to reduce speed for a turn and when to brake ahead of it, maybe slightly assist steering too, for close to optimal trajectory. AEB and automatic steering assist should be there too for obstacles.
How far they push this feature at first, remains to be seen but this is how i read what Musk said.
You can look at it as the human pretending to drive or, in the mildest implementation, as the AI always ensuring safety. Since Musk used the term augment, it's likely more than just safety so the car optimizes the driver's decisions for extra perf.

 

[gregd]

Musk just tweeted this about the "SpaceX package". I can't tell if he is joking or not:

Elon Musk on Twitter

Is the roadster really going to have tiny thrusters all around it for vector thrustering???

I seriously doubt the Roadster will have actual rocket thrusters, but if it did, perhaps they're less for performance, and more for safety? Think "airbags for the car"...?

 

[electracity]

I seriously doubt the Roadster will have actual rocket thrusters, but if it did, perhaps they're less for performance, and more for safety? Think "airbags for the car"...?

Unfortunately he is talking about compressed air thrusters developed by SpaceX.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Unfortunately he is talking about compressed air thrusters developed by SpaceX.

I actually think he's joking. And way too many people think he's serious.

 

[electracity]

I actually think he's joking. And way too many people think he's serious.

I don't recall Musk ever making a product specific joke. But I do hope is is joking. What a waste of engineering time.

 

[gregd]

Unfortunately he is talking about compressed air thrusters developed by SpaceX.

I understand. My thought was that the thrusters could be used to "augment" the car's safety in the event of an imminent (milliseconds) crash. Sort of a virtual cushion which would effectively lengthen the crumple zone by starting the deceleration just a bit earlier. I see now by his tweet that he did mention performance as the objective, so perhaps a missed opportunity if he's actually serious about this. Followup on this aspect of augmentation to Space X Option Package

 

[ICUDoc]

So should I put the money down for the Roadster now or not? It’s all getting confusingly crazy....

 

[SSonnentag]

While the Roadster 2.0 may have a top speed in excess of 250 mph, it most definitely will not be achieving that speed in the quarter mile as stated in the article. A trap speed of 150-160 mph in the quarter mile sounds more reasonable.