Why Robotaxis Fail in Cities

[@johngriswold2956]

Good video & thoughts. Here's a couple from me. (1) I think Tesla has probably worked some of the perception components of a human standing in the street directing traffic, but I'm not sure they've rolled responding actions into the deployed NN's quite yet. So, perhaps we call that component "coming soon"? (2) You jump from "this is difficult" to "LIDAR is required" without addressing the (oft-stated) fact that humans are currently doing this with photons-to-eyeballs only... not to mention that the array of cameras is absorbing a lot more photons than our eyeballs do. Appreciate you for putting this together.

[@FSDdriver]

I assume that we need LiDAR because Tesla used to use it, and I believe it provided better results regardless of environmental conditions like fog, smoke, or haze. I think they had the right approach initially, as my car does have LiDAR, but Tesla has disabled it through a software update. I actually believe that the car could detect moving objects more quickly than a vision-only system. I understand why they removed it-cost-cutting and reducing the number of components-but I have a feeling it will make a return in Hardware version 5.

[@johngriswold2956]

@FSDdriver I think you're confusing similar systems. Tesla has only used LiDAR for dedicated testing, mounted to external frame on the vehicle... no production Tesla had it. I think you mean the radar unit mounted on the front bumper of older Teslas like mine. Aside from the complexity and cost that you mentioned, the primary reason they deleted it was that it gave more false positives (phantom braking) than vision-based. I'm happy to see them move forward without it (phantom braking on I-95 was really horrible), but they're not finished yet.

[@FSDdriver]

@johngriswold2956 correct I misspoke. I ment radar. Yes I understand that it was having issues but my car is phantom breaking at green light intersections now with just vision only

[@jchill5229]

Hmm, does your car tell you to stop being a "back seat driver"? 🤔😂 Seriously an interesting video.

[@FSDdriver]

Only when it's trying to kill me. There is a reason I do voice-over at the end of my drives. Most of the raw footage is me talking to the car. I swear it hears me, too, because sometimes it will try to inch out into traffic, and I'll be like, "NO, NO, NO, DON'T GO," and it will stop. Then, when I say "Go" again, it will go. No lie, my wife even says she thinks it's taking voice cues from us as drivers.

[@rushentertainment]

You're correct, they need to put lidar back on. Vision alone isn't all that good.

[@FSDdriver]

They can continue to try to update camera resolution and quality but rate FPS but I think we need more in my opinion.

[@Xanthopteryx]

Robotaxi is not ten years away. It is here, already. Waymo, Baidu and more. They are here. Today. And it works! But Tesla Robotaxi, that is not even a decade away. If they continue on the route they have set themselves in, it will never happen.

[@FSDdriver]

We don't have any of those autonomous vehicles you mentioned; most people aren't familiar with them unless they live in places like California or other areas where they are actively mapped. Additionally, these vehicles don’t operate well in cold weather climates. Even the companies developing them are likely still a decade away from widespread deployment, and they don't even manufacture their own vehicles. I would say Tesla is significantly ahead of those other companies, but their lack of sufficient cameras and LiDAR technology is holding them back.

[@Xanthopteryx]

@@FSDdriver Waymo currently work in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin. More to come. Tesla does not work anywhere. Not in one single place in the entire world. And yes cold icy wintery climate is a struggle that will take a decade or more for the leaders like Waymo and Baidu to conquer. Tesla? They are not even close. None of the Tesla cars on the roads today will work as a proper self driving car. None.

[@DanThomas-n1e]

SElf drivin is NONESENSE. Its only GUARANTEED JOBS for programmers NEVA HAPPNIN

[@FSDdriver]

I don’t think it’s nonsense I just think it’s several years away based on my experience and findings with it.

[@Xanthopteryx]

Jaywalking, so stupid! We do not have it here in Sweden. The only roads you are NOT allowed on as a pedestrian is two-lane expressway and motorway. ALL the other roads you may freely cross if you like. Anywhere you like. USA really should change that car centric stupidity and ban jaywalking. And then improve even more for pedestrians.

[@FSDdriver]

We have jaywalking laws, and on a normal day, most people wait at a crosswalk. However, during sporting events in the city, these laws often seem to be ignored.

[@Xanthopteryx]

@@FSDdriver And that is so stupid. Remove all jaywalking laws. That is step 1.