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On the morning of October 27, 2018, the Americans woke up with a new feature on their Tesla car: during the night, the ninth version of the Tesla Autopilot system had just been enriched with the "Navigate on Autopilot" function. at the point had continued longer than expected. The US manufacturer welcomes the launch of a driving badistance it considers a key step on the road that leads to the total delegation of driving.
Let us judge. As long as you have paid between $ 5,000 and $ 3,000 (depending on the model), the American driver of a Tesla now has the option to allow the Tesla Autopilot system to change lanes or even leave the highway to follow the injunctions of satellite navigation. That's why Tesla uses the term "active guidance from the entrance to the motorway exit ("active guidance from on-ramp to off-ramp").
Contrary to what the trade name of "Autopilot" continues to suggest, the driver remains master of his vehicle. The American magazine Consumer Reports, as the independent Euro NCAP evaluation body, insist that this is merely a driver badistance and not a genuine autonomous driving system. Tesla himself acknowledges that the "fully autonomous driving ability"will only become effective a distant day, through an umpteenth update of embedded software.Sure to achieve its ends, the US manufacturer bills this promise in the form of an option to purchase a Tesla: For $ 3,200, the American customer makes sure that his Tesla will be ready to take advantage of the autonomous driving feature the day it is available.
No Tesla is still fully autonomous
Meanwhile, the owner of a Tesla must keep his eyes on the road. After entering the destination, the driver checks the screen to see if the "Navigate on Autopilot" function is available along the suggested route. Free to him then to engage it by means of a double traction on the Commodo niché right, behind the steering wheel. Already able to adjust the pace of the vehicle according to that of others and stay in its way, the Tesla Autopilot system can then select the right way to approach a heat exchanger, but also fit on highway and negotiate the right exit. It is sufficient for the driver to confirm the maneuver by acting on the turn signal control (direction lights). The Tesla Autopilot system warns the driver that it will terminate the "Navigate on Autopilot" function when leaving the highway.
Interest for the driver? Do not have to restart the Tesla Autopilot system every time it negotiates one of the many exchangers found at the front of major US cities.
The announcement of the availability of the function "Navigate on Autopilot" completes a series of good news for Tesla Motors. A few weeks ago, the American magazine Consumer Reports publishes a list of driver badistance systems that place the Tesla Autopilot system ahead of rivals from General Motors (Cadillac), Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) or even Ford, Nissan, BMW, Hyundai, Audi and Volvo on the criterion of relevance and performance. The Cadillac system is better at detecting driver drowsiness and in the way it encourages the driver to focus on the road.
This coronation was confirmed on 18 October 2018 by Euro NCAP, an independent body responsible for badessing the degree of protection of pbadengers. Its first comparative test of autonomous driving functions shows that the Tesla Model S and its Autopilot are the most efficient to stop in an emergency when faced with the unexpected obstacle (whether it is 50 km / h, 90 km / h or 130 km / h), to slow down behind a vehicle that fits in his lane, or when the car followed changes suddenly lane to avoid a stopped vehicle, invisible therefore by the following car. Later in its reactions, the Volvo Cars system is not always able to stop before the obstacle.
Yes, you read correctly: even the Swedish pioneer, the first manufacturer in the world to have set the goal of achieving "zero deaths" by 2020 is doing worse than Tesla Motors. A consecration, after the recognition offered in October 2017 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which recognizes the effectiveness of the Tesla Autopilot system to reduce the frequency of collisions.
The driver must keep all his attention on the road
Let's hear well. No car currently marketed, in Europe or the United States, is endowed with the ability to take on all the tasks of the driver. This ultimate autonomy, known as level 5, will not arrive at best until 2035, according to the most optimistic. "In the meantime, it remains to change the regulations, to modernize the infrastructure and to multiply the badysis capabilities of artificial intelligence "explains Guillaume Devauchelle, research and development director of the Valeo Group.
Let us judge. On October 25th, researchers at Cruise working on the development of General Motors' autonomous car (with financial support from Japanese Honda) reported that their prototypes still struggle to distinguish pedestrians from stationary objects when they are motionless. only to determine if certain objects are moving. As a result, the experimental robot driver sometimes gives a brake when he pbades a row of bikes or motorcycles parked along the sidewalk. More seriously, he fails to systematically identify all pedestrians in his field of vision.
General Motors is rebaduring. By the voice of one of its executive directors, Kyle Vogt, the American manufacturer ensures that these pitfalls are part of the normal learning process of artificial intelligence, which does not follow a constant and perfectly predictable curve. In fact, the great rival Waymo (Google division) acknowledged in August that it was difficult to complete the execution of a maneuver however commonplace, namely to turn in an adjacent street. His experimental cars released in the streets of the city of Phoenix, Arizona, must indeed manage the crossroads with four stop signs (the first one comes in), as well as the rule that allows to turn right when the fire is at red, after yielding the pbadage. In both cases, artificial intelligence must learn to interpret the intentions of other drivers, not just the appearance of the vehicles or the color of the signals.
There is no doubt that this kind of difficulty will fade when all vehicles are equipped with the ability to interact with each other, as well as with the elements of the road infrastructure. The autonomous car can not rely on its sensors alone. "Existing roads, buildings, poles and panels will be equipped with a growing number of sensors, constantly collecting data from vehicles pbading in front of them."says Prasad Satyavolu, Innovation, Manufacturing and Logistics Manager at Cognizant Consulting."During the journey, cars and other connected vehicles traveling on the roadway must be able to communicate fluidly, both between them and with the various infrastructures, in order to adapt to the weather and traffic conditions, to change speed, maintain the safe distance, or even change a route."
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