Tesla biggest challenge with full-self-driving technology is obvious
FSD technology requires powerful computers and a fleet of vehicles gathering data to continuously improve. Tesla's system differs from technologies that are based on laser-radars, which Musk says are a bad solution for self-driving cars.
The main takeaway is that for about three years, since CEO Elon Musk made autonomy a key aspect of Tesla's future, the carmaker has been working to combine its fleet of self-driving equipped vehicles with a sophisticated new onboard computer that can crunch a massive amount of visual information. Tesla is going for the amplifying power of network effects here: a constant flow of data could enable Tesla systems to rapidly improve itself and overcome the limits of visual-based tech — limits that Waymo, GM's Cruise, and others are avoiding by using laser-radar setups.Musk insisted that Lidar is doomed and that Tesla's neural-network-based approach is better. We won't know for some time if he's right. But Tesla's deep dive into its technology, which would be challenging for even PhD computer scientists to follow, proved that the challenge Tesla has set about attacking proves one thing: The connection between the human eye and the brain that makes the act of driving possible isThink of it like this. In much of the United States, a human can spend around 5,840 days living, practice behind a car for a few months, and then drive an automobile with reasonable competence. It's those 5,840 days, along with the natural neural net that is the brain, that has sent many self-driving companies running to lidar technology. And that's because for a 16-year-old human, a lifetime has been spent interacting visually with reality .of that episode of learning. And a human doesn't need a far-flung network; we can do it on our own, as individuals. We also specialize from what self-driving researchers call"edge cases" — weird stuff that computers have never seen and that they can't quickly process. We can come up with solutions on the fly. Tesla is tackling this challenge by taking all of its cars and treating them like a networked mega-driver. A human couldn't process billions of datapoints coming in non-stop. But computers can handle this. So what Tesla's full-self-driving program is shooting for is a kind of never-ending, real-time simulation that all its vehicles can tap into. Will it work? Maybe. And if it does, will Tesla be able to use it to build a business that's distinct from selling cars? We'll find out.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Heads Up Tesla And GM: China's Geely Plays The Electric Angle With 'Geometry' Line, New EVChinese carmaker Geely, owners of Volvo, Lotus, and others, is on the offensive once again with a new all-electric EV brand: Geometry.
Read more »
Can you save money and the planet by owning a Tesla or another electric car?From the sticker price to fuel costs to tax breaks, here's a breakdown of whether it makes sense financially to drive an electric vehicle.
Read more »
Insiders describe a world of chaos and waste at Panasonic's massive battery making operation for TeslaScissors in the mix and oil spills on the line: Employees say that chaos on Panasonic's side of the Gigafactory has lead to accidents and waste.
Read more »
Here are the biggest analyst calls of the day: Qualcomm, Tesla, Chipotle, Tiffany & moreHere are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Wednesday
Read more »
Elon Musk said Tesla cars will probably be better than humans at driving by the end of 2019Tesla CEO Elon Musk made the prediction in an interview with MIT research scientist Lex Fridman.
Read more »
A Tesla Bull Says He Was Wrong — but He’s Still a BullShares of Tesla fell Wednesday as one of its most steadfast Wall Street bulls lowered his price target on the stock for the first time since late 2015.
Read more »
Tesla holdings slashed by T. Rowe Price funds in latest cuts by investorT. Rowe Price funds slashed Tesla Inc holdings in the first quarter, data showed...
Read more »
SEC, Tesla CEO Elon Musk seek one-week delay to resolve contempt motionOn April 4, a federal judge gave Musk and the SEC two weeks to work out their differences, punting a request from the agency to hold him in contempt of court for allegedly violating an October securities fraud settlement. Now they want one more week.
Read more »
Tesla is dramatically changing its boardTesla Inc. disclosed Friday afternoon that several directors will leave its board, which has been criticized for failing to rein in actions by Chief...
Read more »