Tesla's updated Autopilot system to increase safety by three-fold

Tesla announces update for its Autopilot semi-autonomous system, wherein radar technology will replace optical cameras as primary means to detect obstacles on the road.

Of late, Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot mode has come under serious scrutiny, courtesy a number of unfortunate accidents including one that also resulted in a fatality. In response to the concerns raised by the authorities as well as the customers, Tesla has now announced a software update for its Autopilot technology in Model S and Model X cars. Tesla claims the new updates will see a three-fold increase in safety.

Dubbed the Autopilot 8.0, the software update will be available over-the-air for current Tesla Model S and Model X cars in two weeks’ time. The newer version, according to Tesla, brings a number of improvements over the on-board radar system of the self-driving tech fitted on Tesla cars since October 2014. Previously, the system used the radar system as a supplementary sensor that would cross check the readings with the car’s optical sensors to create a picture of the road ahead. In the Autopilot 8.0, the system uses the radar as the primary source to detect hazards and obstacles on the road. The major advantage of using a radar instead of optical sensors is that the visibility will not be effected by fog, rain, or dust, thereby, helping the car to identify obstacles more effectively.

Additionally, the system comes with real-time ‘Fleet Learning’ technology that keeps a track of any anomalies or complicated driving scenarios so as to help Tesla cars to learn to deal with 'tricky' scenarios in a safe manner. Apart from this, the current software update also includes a new setting that gives drivers three warnings to keep their hands on the wheel in a time span of an hour. If the driver does not comply, the system will force the driver to park and restart their car - like a nanny! A hands-free time of 3 minutes could be allowed to drivers depending on the location and traffic scenario.

Commenting on the introduction of the new Autopilot system upgrade, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk insisted that the update is not just a ‘fix’ to the semi-autonomous technology used in Tesla cars earlier, but it is the latest stage of the tech. “It’s not going from bad to good, it’s going from good to great.", he said during an online press conference.

Musk also said that the safety record of Autopilot has been far impressive since Tesla cars using the Autopilot system are averaging at 200 million miles per fatality compared to the USA’s average of 89 million miles per fatality.

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