Tesla Autopilot and the Model 3, with the updated Hardware 3 components, have proven to be a big boon for Tesla.
In the latest Tesla software 2019.40.50.xx update, Tesla added a bunch of visualization features to the system. Tesla Model 3 is now able to recognize road signs, including stop signs and other objects like traffic cones, on the screen present inside it.
Not only that, some new testing done by the Youtuber Daerik proves that his Model 3 on Autopilot can remember the location of the stop signs, after recognizing them.
You can watch the video to see how Tesla Autopilot reacts in this situation.
Tesla Autopilot In Model 3 Uses Cameras To Identify The Environment
At the start of the video, David, the presenter, revealed that during his last video when he was holding a stop sign for the Tesla Autopilot to recognize, the system didn’t just spot the sign when it was up in the air but also when he brought the sign down in his hands.
This proves that Tesla is not only using Radar but other sensors, including the cameras, to see and remember the surrounding objects.
It also proves that the Tesla Autopilot can spot road signs even when they’re not in their usual spots, i.e., along the side of the road.
The presenter said:
“When I was holding the stop sign and we started driving, it showed up just fine when I was holding it. However, when we put the stop sign down, it still showed it. So that showed the car is using not only GPS but also its cameras to actually detect stop signs.”
“It can detect them anywhere they’re located and not just where they’re programmed on the map.”
The team conducted two tests in total. First, they tested whether the Tesla Autopilot will warn you if the Model 3 runs through a stop sign. They tested whether Autopilot will remember the previous location of the stop sign and stop, now that the sign has been removed.
During the first try of the first test, Model 3 didn’t react to the stop sign, which was placed on the right side of the road. However, it did show it on the visualization screen on the center console.
In the second try of the same test, the stop sign was placed on the left side of the road. However, the Tesla Autopilot on the Model 3 did recognize it but blew right past it, similar to the first try.
In the third try, David stood close to the intersection on the right side of the road. This time, the Tesla Autopilot spotted the stop sign and stopped the car successfully.
After this trial, no matter where David put the stop sign, on the left or on the right side of the road, the Tesla Autopilot on Model 3 was able to recognize it and bring the car to a stop on its own, or so the duo thought.
The duo then decided to conduct a second test to see whether the Tesla Atupilot will remember the stop signs once they’re removed.
This time, Daerik ran through the same patch of the road, but this time there was no David holding the stop sign.
However, the sign appeared on the visualization screen, and the Autopilot had remembered its location. And since there was no sign in front of the Model 3, the Autopilot didn’t stop the car, and it just went through.
Daerik then went through the intersection, this time without the stop sign, and the car displayed the same warning.
In conclusion, the Tesla Autopilot can recognize and remember the stop sign, but it wasn’t telling the driver to take over, as the release notes said that it would.
“We had read in the release notes that they added ‘stop sign detection’ and some people have reported that when they would run a stop sign it (Tesla Autopilot) would show a warning and request them to take over immediately, but we didn’t see that in our testing,” said David
“So that was I think kind of a false positive, it was freaking out more at the intersection because it’s not sure how to proceed,” further commented Daerik.
Tesla Autopilot Is Getting Ready To Train A Fleet
As we saw, the Tesla Autopilot can recognize and learn in real-time, without having to send the data over to Tesla.
According to the duo, this is exactly how fleet learning will eventually take place in the future.
“One car will recognize something, act on it and then if its correct will go to the rest of the fleet,” concluded Dearik.
They also tested the ability of the new feature in the Tesla software update, which allows users to save dashcam footage simply by honking.
As we move forward in 2020, Tesla Autopilot will keep getting smarter. However, at the current rate, the dream of Elon Musk to launch a fully autonomous fleet of Robo Taxis is still pretty far ahead.
