Cancel

gear Push settings

bars

homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Tesla autopilot goes live - it's creepy and beautiful

A couple of days back we wrote that Tesla's new model S will be featuring an autopilot mode. The first reactions are amazing.

Mihai Andrei
October 15, 2015 @ 6:08 am

share Share

A couple of days back we wrote that Tesla‘s new model S will be featuring an autopilot mode that will go live on October 15 – today. Well, now we have the first reactions, and they’re amazing.

First of all, it has to be said that this is not a driverless car – the driver has to be inside and from time to time, he still have to make a decision. For example, when the ‘Autopilot’ software doesn’t have enough data to properly steer the car, it will alert you to either “hold the steering-wheel” or “take control immediately”. But you get to see the cars ahead and behind you in real time, and the best thing is that the car does the most boring part of driving for you – it slows down when there’s a red light or someone in front of you, it can read road signs and traffic lights… it’s basically what the name says: it’s an autopilot.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO explained the difference between autopilot and driverless:

The interviewer here clearly doesn’t understand what mister Musk is saying – a driver still needs to be there at all time and take responsibility for the driving, but (and this is a big but) this will reduce accidents, because the software is excellent at keeping a constant distance from other cars and is much more efficient at staying safe than the average driver.

share Share

This 5,500-year-old Kish tablet is the oldest written document

Beer, goats, and grains: here's what the oldest document reveals.

A Huge, Lazy Black Hole Is Redefining the Early Universe

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a massive, dormant black hole from just 800 million years after the Big Bang.

Did Columbus Bring Syphilis to Europe? Ancient DNA Suggests So

A new study pinpoints the origin of the STD to South America.

The Magnetic North Pole Has Shifted Again. Here’s Why It Matters

The magnetic North pole is now closer to Siberia than it is to Canada, and scientists aren't sure why.

For better or worse, machine learning is shaping biology research

Machine learning tools can increase the pace of biology research and open the door to new research questions, but the benefits don’t come without risks.

This Babylonian Student's 4,000-Year-Old Math Blunder Is Still Relatable Today

More than memorializing a math mistake, stone tablets show just how advanced the Babylonians were in their time.

Sixty Years Ago, We Nearly Wiped Out Bed Bugs. Then, They Started Changing

Driven to the brink of extinction, bed bugs adapted—and now pesticides are almost useless against them.

LG’s $60,000 Transparent TV Is So Luxe It’s Practically Invisible

This TV screen vanishes at the push of a button.

Couple Finds Giant Teeth in Backyard Belonging to 13,000-year-old Mastodon

A New York couple stumble upon an ancient mastodon fossil beneath their lawn.

Worms and Dogs Thrive in Chernobyl’s Radioactive Zone — and Scientists are Intrigued

In the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, worms show no genetic damage despite living in highly radioactive soil, and free-ranging dogs persist despite contamination.