Upgrading Autopilot: Seeing the World in Radar

[J1mbo]

Sounds like 8.0 is an updated device driver for the radar with some UI improvements, and data capture as a precursor to a new system.

Interesting decision to promote the role pf the radar. Autopilot will now have 2 primary systems, each with a degree of uncertainty, and I guess the final decision-maker will be the automatically generated whitelist. I assume that will be embedded in the map tiles in a way that makes it simple to look up from any point of the road as the car approaches.

I wonder what happens in situations where the radar and camera disagree and there is no whitelist - will the system fail safe by slamming on the brakes? What if the wind blew a metallized crisp packet into the path of your car?

One can only hope that whitelist items automatically age over time, to pick up temporary items like when a road is being repaired.

This is an interesting point: "With further data gathering, car will activate Autosteer to avoid collision when probability ~100%"

Without additional sensors to see what is happening behind the car, probability could never be ~100%.

 

[Cloxxki]

Curious that AP only now seems to be getting into learning for tighter curves. I believe AP users have reported improved curve holding already, but that may have been general, not curve-specific? Seems the learning will for a large part be non-AP driving dependent to not have to base learning on failed AP efforts with manual overrides.
So by 8.1 the self-navigation technical journey will start. Perhaps 8.2 will then see automatic lane choice to stay on course, beyond the standard left or right exit lane. Sometimes 4 lanes go into 2+2 long before the split is definite. Even with naviigation active it's at times easy to take the wrong side due to vague sign layout.

Tesla will soon have a road objects database worth many billions to other car makes. And if some roads never get explored by Teslas, they could send their personel to drive those roads. Or, imagine Tesla handing out store credits to those committing to adding to the database by letting Tesla plot a drive on a full charge. Would actually be a fun way to spend the day, going where no Tesla has gone before. You'd probably be asked to drive yourself, no AP, but radar and cam logging like crazy.

 

[Cloxxki]

How is AP right now with potholes? Some are seen and avoided by drivers, some are just in the memory of drivers and avoided all the same or reduced speed for.
I've seen reports of cars (not necessarily Tesla) self-activating lift to negotiate speed bumbs and the like, but it would be pretty awesome if a Tesla would plot the smoothest course across a particularly bumby road. Could radar log potholes?

 

[andrerodpt]

Unless, of course, the UFOs are made of wood...

According to this, then a Tesla won't be able to see a witch.
I'm not sure that is a problem, though...

 

[Saghost]

Thanks. So let me state a different way. Are all my statements true?

1. While radar is of course capable of seeing non-moving objects most/all production cars today ignore non-moving objects due to very high noise/false positives. The road sign over the ridge isn't a problem because it is stationary and thus ignored.
2. Most/all production cars thus only "look" at moving objects with radar.
3. Tesla's innovation is to look at both, but filter out false positive non-moving objects.

I wonder if they need to start getting data from scratch with 8.0 (which seems to be the case given future tense of statements) or if they've been gathering for a year now.

I believe your statements are correct. I'm pretty sure Tesla will have to start from scratch with their whitelist after 8.0 goes on to the cars.

That's because they said that to make this work they needed new radar firmware from the manufacturer which exposes a lot more of the raw take.

I'm pretty sure that the current system has the radar processor throwing away all the stationary objects like most other cars do - since the car's computers never see the objects, they can't record them.

It also sounded like they were receiving or recording more detail about objects than was possible under current firmware.

 

[KaiserSoze]

Let's say the upgraded AP has been out for a year and the whitelist has been built. In the early morning a road crew installs a new overhead sign on my commute, just around a blind turn. I'm the first Tesla to see it. What happens? Does my coffee fly all over the dash as AP emergency brakes?

 

[Saghost]

Let's say the upgraded AP has been out for a year and the whitelist has been built. In the early morning a road crew installs a new overhead sign on my commute, just around a blind turn. I'm the first Tesla to see it. What happens? Does my coffee fly all over the dash as AP emergency brakes?

This is a very good question, and one we don't know the answer to for certain.

My expectation is that the car will start to brake (hopefully slower than the panic stop you're describing unless the sign is right next to the curve,) and the driver will have to tell the car it's okay somehow. (press the accelerator? Steering wheel button? Push up the CC stalk? I'm not sure how you go about calming a worried car. Somehow I think talking softly and feeding it carrots may not work that well. )

 

[cronosx]

it will probably start a gentle brake, if you push just a little the brake, then it will slam down since you 'comfirmed' that something it's not ok