Tesla Releases Self-Driving Demo Video That Shows What The Car Sees
Tesla is continuing to go all-in with autonomous driving technology, having already promised that all future models, including the upcoming Model 3, will include self-driving features. Now found Elon Musk has shared a new video that attempts to better demonstrate to drivers how the technology works. The demo clip shows what it's like for a Tesla vehicle to drive itself on local, public roads, all while showing the car's point of view of things.
We see four viewpoints presented in the video at all times: what a passenger would see while sitting inside the vehicle as it drives itself, along with the views from various cameras and sensors that are used to detect all the objects that are essential to driving, including other vehicles, lane markers, traffic lights, street signs, and, of course, pedestrians.
The view of the passengers shows that their hands are kept off the steering wheel and their feet away from the pedals at all times. There's also a moment when the car's sensors detect a pair of joggers running along the roadside. Even though they aren't obstructing the vehicle's path, it slows down just to be safe, highlighting that the technology has recognized human pedestrians and prioritizes them over other processes.
While the video makes for a very impressive demonstration, it would be nice if the next one shows a Tesla driving in conditions other than a fair weather, brightly lit afternoon. To really put autonomous driving technology through the paces, we need to see how it handles navigating at night in low-light situations, or during weather such as heavy rain or snow.