YouTuber tests Tesla’s camera-only strategy by driving through fake wall
In the beloved “Looney Tunes” cartoons, the enduring chase between the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote unfurls a constant pursuit. Wile E. sets up elaborate traps in a futile attempt to capture the cunning bird. One of the iconic schemes Wile E. devised was painting a fake tunnel on a rock wall, hoping the Road Runner would be deceived and collide with the wall. Remarkably, a similar trick seems to work on Teslas as well.
Former NASA engineer and YouTuber, Mark Rober, recently released a video that tests a Tesla equipped solely with cameras against a vehicle equipped with lidar technology. The video challenges the Tesla’s “autopilot” braking system with an optical illusion of a wall that blends seamlessly with the road ahead. Around a decade ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a bold decision to utilize only visible-light cameras for object detection, forsaking the more expensive yet precise lidar systems. Musk justified the shift to visible light cameras by highlighting the power of AI to detect various objects on the road through its vast training data gathered from millions of Tesla vehicles.
However, recent incidents have cast doubts on the effectiveness of Tesla’s camera-only system, with a series of accidents resulting in injuries and even fatalities. Rober’s video serves as a clear and compelling demonstration of Tesla’s potential limitations when faced with such visual obstructions on the road. Rober’s experiments revealed the struggles of the camera-only system in spotting a dummy child amidst heavy fog and a simulated deluge of water. While these extreme conditions may not be commonplace, they highlight the challenges Tesla’s system may encounter.
Despite the limitations, Rober’s tests did show instances where the Tesla successfully halted. The vehicle stopped when a stationary child dummy was placed directly in its path during daylight, when the dummy suddenly emerged from behind another vehicle, and when the dummy was illuminated by bright floodlights. The results offer insights into both the strengths and weaknesses of Tesla’s camera-only strategy.
Tesla, in recent times, has faced challenges, reflected in a sharp decline in stock value, dwindling sales in Europe, and Elon Musk’s attention being absorbed by other ventures like his involvement with Dogecoin. The stock took a hit of over 5% recently, marking a period of instability for the company. The video demonstration by Rober sheds light on the ongoing debate surrounding Tesla’s reliance on camera-based technology over lidar, raising important questions about the future of autonomous driving and safety protocols.