Comment by mgrund | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mgrund | Hacker News Reader

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As a Tesla owner with a model 3 that used to have radar until Tesla disabled it I find this argument funny.

Radar failed when the front got covered in ice, that's about it. With Tesla Vision (camera only), it no longer has any active sensors so it means it doesn't really work and is generally unavailable (as in, not even cruise control is available) or highly unpredictable in conditions such as:

- Rain - Fog - Snow - Low sun - When using windshield fluid - Sometimes when driving next to a truck (not sure if tunnels are still an issue as well?) - Probably more scenarios I forgot about...

Having tried both setup, it's pretty clear to me that the best real-life results are with multiple sensor technologies. I have very little faith Tesla succeeds as long as they are camera-only.

Radar can be supplemental, but it has many false positives. Blind spot monitoring will go off if you pass metal poles a certain way.

You could invalidate that false positive with another sensor, probably computer vision, so you should have just used only CV in the first place.

You have to make sure you only use cameras because you need to drive in all scenarios. If you can't visibly see, the other humans can't either, and it's acceptable to pull over and wait.

Relying on additional sensors just makes your driving less reliable when you don't have it available. Best to only use the common denominator. Less noise, more predictable.

That is Tesla's thinking. If someone wants to prove them wrong, they are free to make an attempt!

When I cross the road I mainly use my eyes, so I should ignore my ears if they hear a car coming because that signal should not be needed.

I normally spot fire with my eyes by seeing the smoke, so if I'm lying in bed at night and I smell burning, I should simply ignore it because that signal should not be needed.

i prefer using just my eyes for driving vs smelling and listening for cars.

unless the car is honking it's pretty hard to hear anything due to insulation, especially on the highway.

but yes, humans are very good at using all the sensors they evolved with, the brain is amazing.

maybe one day someone will be able to balance all of their sensors and beat Tesla, or maybe Tesla will figure it all out.

can't wait to find out!

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