Tesla To Improve Driver Monitoring and Track Drowsiness Even When Autopilot Is Off

May 15, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla is improving is driver monitoring system

@rice_fry/Twitter

To ensure safer roads and potentially bolster its Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities, Tesla is planning a significant upgrade to its driver monitoring system. Notable Tesla hacker, @Greentheonly, has revealed on Twitter that this upgrade goes beyond simple driving metrics and delves into an impressive array of advanced features.

Tesla's In-Depth Driver Monitoring

Tesla's forthcoming update to its driver monitoring system showcases the power of machine learning and sensor technology. Instead of just monitoring traditional driving metrics, like looking down or off to the side, the system will gather a wide range of data about the driver's behavior, even when the car is not on Autopilot.

Advanced Metrics: Beyond Just Keeping the Car Centered

Tesla's enhanced monitoring system will assess a driver's ability based on multiple factors, including how well the car is centered and the number of lane keep assist warnings and corrections.

The advanced system will detect signs of driver fatigue or distraction by monitoring physical cues. For instance, frequent yawning, extended blink durations and leaning can indicate tiredness, making a driver unfit for the road. By alerting drivers when such signs are detected, the system can potentially help prevent accidents caused by impaired driving.

The Potential Impact on Full Self-Driving

The sophisticated data collection and analysis could also strengthen Tesla's case for its Full Self-Driving capabilities. By demonstrating how many drivers show signs of tiredness or impairment, particularly during late-night drives, Tesla can highlight the need for advanced autonomous driving technology.

Beyond the immediate implications for driver safety and insurance, there's also the potential for this data to shape the broader narrative around Tesla's Full Self-Driving capabilities. As noted by Twitter user @RedneckAi, Tesla could use the data to argue that a significant percentage of drivers are tired or impaired after midnight, bolstering the case for FSD.

The Balance between Safety and Privacy

While the enhanced driver monitoring system is undeniably a technological marvel and a potential lifesaver, it also raises questions about privacy. As the system collects more personal data about drivers' behavior, strict data protection measures become increasingly crucial.

The conversation surrounding Tesla's driver monitoring system brings into focus the fine line between leveraging technology for safety and maintaining individual privacy. As such technologies continue to evolve, striking a balance between these two aspects will be paramount.

Tesla Vehicles Spotted With LiDAR: What Do They Use It For?

July 13, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla recently hit the news for purchasing approximately $2M in LiDAR sensors from Luminar, one of Tesla’s long-term suppliers. You’ve probably seen photos of Tesla’s Semi and various Tesla models, including the Model 3 and Model Y sporting LIDAR equipment on the roof. These cars drive around with manufacturer plates scanning streets and highways.

However, many people confuse Tesla’s purpose in purchasing LiDAR equipment with using it for FSD versus testing. So, let’s look at what LiDAR is, and why Tesla uses it on its Fleet Validation Vehicles.

What is LiDAR?

LiDAR stands for Light Detecting and Ranging – essentially using lasers to measure distances. A laser pulse is sent out, and the time it takes to return is measured – providing extremely accurate distance measurements.

Some companies working on self-driving vehicles, including Waymo and BYD, use LiDAR as part of their self-driving suites, but Tesla is one of the few stand-outs that does not. Even Rimac’s “Verne” Robotaxi – which uses self-driving technology from Mobileye, also uses LiDAR.

While LiDAR can produce extremely accurate and high-quality 3D environments, it comes with its downsides as well. Not only is LiDAR costly and requires large gear strapped to a vehicle, but it also can not be used in bad weather and can have interference issues if there are other strong light sources present.

Why Does Tesla Use LiDAR?

A LiDAR rig mounted on a Tesla Semi for testing FSD.

Not a Tesla App

At Autonomy Day in 2019, Elon Musk mentioned that LiDAR isn’t the solution for self-driving cars – it's just a crutch. Thus, Tesla hasn’t used LiDAR for any production self-driving software.

Instead, Tesla uses it exactly how it's described – they use it to gather ground-truth data. This data is then used to feed Tesla’s Full Self Driving system – which helps validate its vision-only system's accuracy. LiDAR provides very accurate measurements to help ensure that FSD’s perception of space is accurate – and is only used by Tesla to ensure that its AI technology which is the brains of FSD is capable of accurately interpreting depth from just visual data.

Tesla’s vision-only system has been seen to be extremely accurate, with Vision-only Autopark being able to park in even narrower and tighter spaces faster than the previous version that relied on ultrasonic sensors.

We’ll likely continue to see Tesla purchase LiDAR systems, as well as use them for validation well into the future.

Tesla's Upcoming Robotaxi Event in August Delayed, According to Bloomberg

July 12, 2024

By Karan Singh

Sugar Design

In a report from Bloomberg, it is claimed that Tesla will be delaying its much-anticipated 8/8 Robotaxi event by two months to October 2024.

While sources other than Bloomberg haven't confirmed this report, Bloomberg has a positive track record of reporting on financial decisions. We’ll be sure to update the article if there is confirmation on X from Elon Musk or another Tesla senior official.

Tesla’s stock has dropped nearly 8.5% over the day, ending back-to-back gains over the last two weeks. It closed yesterday at $ 241 after hitting a peak of $270 earlier in the day before the news broke.

Why the Delay?

The delay – of approximately two months – has been communicated internally, but not publicly announced just yet. Bloomberg goes on to mention that the design team was told to rework certain elements of the Cybercab, necessitating the delay.

If Bloomberg’s report is correct, it sounds like Tesla’s unveil event will be largely focused on showing off the vehicle, instead of demoing how it will work. Of course, it could still be both, but given past events, Tesla has always shown off the vehicle years before it hits production.

Rimac recently showed off their version of robotaxi vehicle named Verne, and surprisingly, it could almost pass for Tesla’s own robotaxi. A lot of design cues in Rimac’s version are elements we have already seen or expect to see in Tesla’s autonomous taxi.

A recent Tesla patent revealed that Tesla is incorporating a sanitation system into their robotaxi that will be responsible for analyzing and cleaning the vehicle’s interior, although the delay itself is likely tied more to a physical feature rather than software.

Another element we know almost nothing about is how Tesla plans to charge these robotic taxis. Will they rely on the existing charge port and adapt a solution like the robotic charging arm (video below) we saw almost eight years ago, or will wireless charging or a dock finally become realized?

While the delay for Tesla’s event appears to be related to the vehicle’s design itself and not further development of FSD, Tesla is wasting no time in getting FSD working for the upcoming vehicle. Model 3 vehicles have already been spotted with camera locations that resemble a robotaxi.

Is the Delay Accurate?

We expect that this delay might actually be true – Elon Musk usually takes to X within hours of such news breaking if it's false to refute it and hasn’t done so yet.

Tesla has delayed several of their events in the past, and a delay of a couple of months seems plausible. We should hear from Musk himself soon on whether this report is accurate.