As expected, Tesla is moving forward with its Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system, and new details have emerged about the next-gen Autopilot 2.0.
The fine folks at Electrek are reporting that Autopilot will soon get a major upgrade. Autopilot 2.0 will reportedly feature a new front-facing triple camera array and additional radar around the car. According to the report, Autopilot 2.0 will also keep the front-facing radar used in the current version.
According to Electrek, Autopilot 2.0 will achieve level 3 autonomous driving and could potentially achieve level 4 fully autonomous driving in the not-too-distant future.
Although Tesla and Mobileye ended their partnership on the development of Autopilot systems, the report said Autopilot 2.0’s front-facing triple camera system is “likely based on, but not part of, Mobileye’s Front-facing Trifocal Constellation.” Tesla Autopilot uses the Mobileye EyeQ3 processor to provide image analysis intelligence.
On its most recent earnings call, Mobileye CTO Amnon Shashua briefly discussed why the partnership with Tesla is ending. He suggested
that there are concerns about the reputation and safety of Mobileye’s technology. While he didn’t specifically mention it, this is a reference to the fatal Autopilot crash earlier this year that killed 40-year-old Joshua Brown.
Tesla said Autopilot failed to identify a trailer because it was white and it didn’t recognize the contrast with the bright sky. Mobileye said its technology was never designed to handle the scenario that led to the fatal crash. It says the EyeQ4 will be able to detect this type of situation.
The fatal crash, and a couple other incidents, have led to intense scrutiny about Tesla Autopilot. Consumers Reports has urged Tesla to disable Autopilot, saying “consumers should never be guinea pigs for vehicle safety ‘beta’ programs.”
There’s no timetable for the release of Tesla Autopilot 2.0, but CEO Elon Musk recently said improvements to this system would be coming “sooner than people think” and that it “will blow people’s minds.” Musk’s Master Plan, Part Deux, even includes Tesla self-driving trucks and buses, both of which are in the early stages of development and should be unveiled some time in 2017.
[Source:] Electrek
