Tesla has been hard at work refining its AutoPilot system after a number of AutoPilot-related accidents brought the automaker under fire. In August, we told you about AutoPilot 2.0 that would include new hardware and new software programming to the Model S, Model X, and Model 3. (art174111) Then a couple of weeks later, Tesla announced an update that brought new safety restrictions to the system to help prevent drivers from becoming distracted while AutoPilot was engaged. Now, Tesla has announced yet another software update that focused around how the system sees the world using the built in Radar system found in each Tesla vehicle.
Every Tesla vehicle built since 2014 has had a radar system as standard equipment, but until now, that system has been secondary to the primary camera and image processing system. See, radar has limitations as it sees some things differently than we do. For instance, anything that is metallic – like a chrome bumper – can throw the system off. Something like the bottom of a beer can lying in the road can look much larger to a radar system. This obviously poses problems with the radar system being used as a primary system, but Tesla has found a workaround.
This newest update, dubbed Software 8.0, will use the radar system to take snapshots 10 times per second to create a 3D picture. By comparing these shots with one another, along with the car’s velocity and expected path, the system can determine whether or not something is a real obstacle and the probability of a collision. Furthermore, fleet learning comes into play as well. When a Tesla approaches an overpass with road signs, the system often sees this as something in the road. To tackle this, the system will take note of the potential obstacle and the driver’s reaction. This information is then sent to the cloud where it is compiled and analyzed. After so many passes, a certain area can be whitelisted as safe so that every Tesla vehicle driving through the area with AutoPilot engaged knows that the overpass is an overpass and not a truck in the road or some other obstacle. It should be noted that this part of the system will function whether AutoPilot is engaged or not.
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