Culture

Tesla Autopilot system thinks the moon is a yellow light

By Satsuki Then/

One of the more interesting pieces of technology integrated into Tesla automobiles is the Autopilot system. Most are familiar with Tesla's autopilot system, which allows the vehicle to operate semi-autonomously. However, the driver is expected to maintain vigilance behind the wheel as the system has been known to encounter problems.

The Tesla autopilot system has been blamed for multiple accidents, including some that have resulted in fatalities. A new video has been posted to Twitter by a user named Jordan Nelson. In the video, Nelson can be seen driving down the highway in what appears to be twilight conditions. The video focuses on the center screen of an unidentified Tesla model.

In the background, you can see vehicles with their headlights on and what appears to be a full moon hanging in the distance. When the video was made, conditions caused the moon to appear to be much more yellow than we usually see it in the nighttime sky.

The Tesla autopilot system keeps thinking the moon is a yellow traffic signal and slowing the car down. It's unclear how the driver overcame the continued slowing of the autopilot system. The car may have accelerated again on its own, or perhaps he simply stepped on the throttle pedal. Further down the thread, Nelson was asked if he could feel the deceleration because the speed doesn't appear to change on the screen.

He replied that it wasn't a firm slow down, but in the car, it was noticeable as a slight hesitation when the light appeared on the screen. There's no indication that Tesla or Elon Musk are aware of the issue, and there has been no response as of writing. Often, Elon Musk replies to users via Twitter, and there's always a chance he could reply later.

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