Over the weekend, former NASA engineer and YouTuber Mark Rober printed a video that sought to exhibit the distinction between Tesla’s camera-only Autopilot system and a automobile outfitted with lidar. He wished to see whether or not the automobiles would cease mechanically earlier than hitting a Wile E. Coyote-style wall that was painted to appear to be a street.
Spoiler alert: the lidar-equipped automobile brakes earlier than crashing into the wall, whereas the Tesla Model Y plows proper by way of it.
The video was an enormous hit, amassing 10 million views in simply two days. Lots of people praised Rober for exposing the hazards posed by Tesla’s driver-assist system. But others accused Rober of faking the video, noting a variety of inconsistencies. Some claimed the video was a secret ploy by Tesla’s enemies to undermine Elon Musk’s mission to superior self-driving automobiles, due to the intensive promotion of Luminar all through the video. I reached out to Rober to see if he wished to handle any of those claims however haven’t but heard again.
Personally, I take concern with the title of Rober’s video, “Can you idiot a self-driving automobile.” Neither automobile within the check was self-driving. Autopilot, which is Tesla’s first-generation driver-assistance function, doesn’t allow a automobile to drive itself. And Tesla really warns drivers to stay engaged and take note of the street whereas utilizing Autopilot. Rober falls sufferer to that traditional blunder: conflating superior driver help with self-driving. We’ve all been there.
Let’s see if we are able to deal with a number of the different points as effectively.
Claim No. 1: Autopilot isn’t on through the check
Most of the criticism about Rober’s video falls into the bucket of people that suppose he faked the check to make Tesla look unhealthy. They be aware that Autopilot doesn’t look like engaged through the second when the automobile smashes by way of the faux wall, citing pictures of the automobile’s central show that lack the telltale graphics — blue indicator traces and a rainbow street — that sign when Autopilot is on.
The noise bought so loud that Rober finally responded by releasing “uncooked footage” of the check that does certainly present that Autopilot was engaged just a few seconds earlier than the crash.
Claim No. 2: Autopilot disengages proper earlier than affect
But wait! Eagle-eyed viewers be aware that Autopilot seems to disengage a cut up second earlier than affect. Tesla defenders declare that Rober’s arms on the steering wheel really disengage the system, whereas extra conspiratorially minded people surprise if that is really an enormous scandal. Is Autopilot programmed by Tesla to show off moments earlier than a crash to keep away from taking the blame?
Yes and no. This facet of Autopilot has been recognized for a few years. Rober didn’t uncover it, however that doesn’t make it any much less questionable.
In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into dozens of incidents through which Tesla drivers, whereas utilizing Autopilot, crashed into stationary emergency automobiles that had been parked on the aspect of the street. In 16 of these crashes, investigators found that Autopilot “aborted automobile management lower than one second previous to the primary affect.”
A whole lot of critics assume that is Tesla’s method to keep away from getting blamed when its Autopilot system fails to answer an imminent crash. And yeah, I can see the way it definitely appears to be like that means. But NHTSA didn’t discover any proof that implies Tesla’s intentions had been nefarious. And it’s price noting {that a} crash that takes place inside 5 seconds of Autopilot being deactivated remains to be registered by Tesla as an Autopilot crash.
Claim No. 3: Autopilot is an outdated system
Tesla followers additionally took concern with Rober’s use of Autopilot for the check, noting that the system hasn’t been up to date in years and that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) function is the extra up-to-date and succesful system.
But if the aim of Rober’s video was to reveal the distinction between Tesla’s camera-only method to self-driving and people counting on cameras alongside lidar and different sensors, it doesn’t actually make sense to criticize his use of Autopilot. FSD could also be extra technologically mature than Autopilot, nevertheless it nonetheless depends on the identical cameras as its predecessor.
Tesla infamously eliminated the forward-facing radar and ultrasonic sensors from its automobiles in 2021 in favor of the brand new “Tesla Vision” method. Numerous engineers raised objections on the time — solely to be overruled by Musk.
Sure, FSD has a extra subtle software program stack, educated on end-to-end neural networks to incorporate metropolis, freeway, and car parking zone driving eventualities. It’s straightforward to fireplace off a submit on X claiming the system would have braked earlier than working into Rober’s faux wall. But it additionally might have made the identical error. After all, this is identical firm that knew Autopilot had problem detecting truck trailers crossing the trail of the automobile and did nothing to repair it.
Claim No. 4: there have been a number of takes
In the unique video posted on YouTube, Rober engages Autopilot whereas touring at 39mph. But within the “uncooked footage” he posted on X, the system is activated at 42mph — elevating hypothesis that there have been a number of takes and that Rober is heightening the drama for his YouTube viewers.
To which I’d say, yeah, no shit. If you actually suppose a YouTuber with 65 million followers isn’t doing a number of takes in each video earlier than publishing, I’ve some beautiful seaside property to promote you in Ohio.
Claim No. 5: it was sponcon
Screenshot: Drive Tesla Canada
The prominence of lidar firm Luminar’s emblem all through the video has raised questions on whether or not Rober was paid by the corporate to advertise its know-how. And Luminar has performed its personal checks towards Tesla’s automobiles prior to now to point out the benefits of the laser sensor over a camera-only system. As famous by Drive Tesla Canada, Luminar even promoted Rober’s video by itself web site earlier than eradicating it.
In the video’s notes, Rober thanks Luminar for the usage of its lidar-equipped automobile however notes that “no compensation was given, and this isn’t a paid promotion.”
Claim No. 6: the Pixel telephone within the video was photoshopped
Rober supposedly makes use of a Pixel telephone to movie a number of the pictures contained in the automobiles, however some customers on X be aware that the “G” on the again of the telephone is vertical even when the telephone is in panorama, which has led some to invest that he’s really filming with an iPhone. Rober has used Pixel telephones in previous movies, however there’s no point out of Google as a sponsor of the video.
Yeah, I bought nothing right here. It appears to be like fairly sloppy. And I’ll be aware that utilizing Photoshop in a video with out disclosing it to your viewers opens you as much as many legitimate questions on what else you is likely to be manipulating.
Claim No. 7: the opening within the wall was faux
That is one Looney Tunes-shaped gap, if I ever noticed one. If you’re pre-scoring the opening, it appears clear you’re planning to drive by way of it. That’s all people.
