Tech UPTechnologyTesla Autopilot runs over a child's mannequin

Tesla Autopilot runs over a child's mannequin

Tesla’s autopilot system repeatedly crashed into a child dummy during a non-regulatory test published this week by chief technology officer and prominent Tesla critic Dan O’Dowd, who funded the research.

O’Dowd, the CEO of Green Hills Software, launched a campaign last year to ban what he describes as insecure software from security systems. Since then, the organization, called The Dawn Project, has been actively testing Tesla’s software. However, the campaign, which is financed by O’Dowd, is calling on Congress to shut down the Tesla program.

The CEO previously attempted to run for Senate on a platform based solely on the Tesla FSD ban. The ad is one of several The Dawn Project has published criticizing Tesla’s (FSD).

The organization released a video as part of its latest ad campaign of a Tesla driving through a mannequin while allegedly using the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system.

The 32-second footage shows three instances of the Tesla driving through the dummy on a test track in California.

The Dawn Project said the test was run dozens of times over the past month and the vehicle never tried to turn or slow down more than 25 miles per hour before hitting the dummy. The test was performed only three times under affidavit for the video.

It is important to note that the test was not conducted under the supervision of a US regulator, but rather independently, meaning it was not held to the same testing standards.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, for example, conduct auto safety tests in the US using .

The NHTSA released one in 2020, but evaluates the software through bug reports. Tesla has been able to avoid reporting data such as disconnections and accidents to the Department of Motor Vehicles. This is because the system is classified as a level two driver assistance system, unlike autonomous competitors like Alphabet’s Waymo, which are subject to different reporting standards and drivers are not required to monitor vehicles. .

In each test conducted by The Dawn Project, the Tesla would start at 40 miles per hour and drive 100 yards within a designated lane before hitting the dummy. The professional test driver was instructed to keep his hands off the wheel and only brake after the vehicle had made contact with the dummy, according to The Dawn Project.

Tesla tells them that the system is not a substitute for a licensed driver and tells them to keep their hands on the wheel and be ready to take control when the system is working.

After the FSD was enacted, the Model 3 “would start to wobble like it was lost and confused, slow down a bit, then pick up speed again as it hit and ran over dummies at over 25 miles per hour,” the report detailed. test pilot, Art Haynie, in a statement.

“The deeply disturbing results of our Tesla Full Self-Driving safety test should be a rallying cry for action,” O’Dowd said in a statement.

“Elon Musk says Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is ‘incredible’. It is not. It is a lethal threat to all Americans.”

Tesla’s FSD has generated controversy in the past. Last month, the California Department of Motor Vehicles sued the electric car maker, alleging that it used “false or misleading” statements in advertising for its driver assistance programs.

Although FSD claims to be fully autonomous, it actually functions as an optional add-on that allows Teslas to automatically change lanes, enter and exit freeways, recognize stop signs and traffic lights, and park.

The software is still in a beta testing mode, which can be purchased as a software and requires a licensed driver to monitor it at all times. The software has more than Tesla can use to test the software in real time and allow the system’s Artificial Intelligence to learn from experienced drivers.

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