A man in a medical cap is among a handful of Canadians who are testing Tesla’s new fully self-driving computer.
This means that Brangwynne Jones can enter his destination in GPS, and the car takes care of the rest.
“The car can start changing lanes on its own,” Jones said.
“He will make turns, look at the lights, stop at a stop sign, and then crawl forward.”
At least that’s how it works most of the time.
The car is not yet fully autonomous and relies on Jones to be there as a backup. He was selected to take part in the beta testing phase of the technology after completing a multi-day safety test and paying $ 10,000 to upgrade the car’s software.
Sometimes technology fails, such as leaving the necessary tape change until the last second, Jones said. He and other drivers sent feedback on these mistakes to Tesla so that the company could build a better end product.
“It is [like] a teenager who is learning to drive, with a lot of input from dad behind the wheel, “he said.
Tesla owner Branguin Jones is testing the carmaker’s fully self-driving (FSD) computer. (Axel Tardio / Radio Canada)
Fully autonomous vehicles still in the future
Autonomous vehicles will probably need the help of “fathers” like Jones for a while, according to Ian Jack.
While people may dream of the prospect of reading a book or watching television behind the wheel, a spokesman for the Canadian Automobile Association believes the reality is at least a decade from now.
“All the technology is coming, but it is not yet in a form that will allow us to drive completely autonomously in complete safety,” he said.
“Is he coming on the road? Certainly. Will it be in the next few years? It’s very doubtful.”
Jones said the car mostly takes the lead and can change lanes and identify obstacles independently. (Axel Tardio / Radio Canada)
Another obstacle is that no matter how advanced the carmaker’s internal technology is, fully autonomous vehicles will rely on external factors – such as the development of a 5G network. Jack said this would allow cars to “talk” better to each other and make faster judgments while driving.
Randy Goebel, a professor of computer science at the University of Alberta, agrees.
Balance between intelligence and infrastructure
“The real challenge of self-driving is the balance between infrastructure intelligence and vehicle intelligence,” said Goebel, who is also co-founder and co-founder of the Alberta Institute of Mechanical Intelligence.
Achieving that balance will take a lot of work, he said.
For example, Goebel said that Edmonton has more than 1,800 intersections. It may be possible to add a 5G transponder to each one – but it will take both time and collaboration between carmakers and infrastructure providers, he said.
“Both must be on the same page when it comes to communication between infrastructure and the vehicle,” he said.
Alberta Transportation said it was aware of Tesla’s testing project in the province, but did not participate. This form of transportation is being monitored by the Alberta government as technology and innovation continue to advance.
As for Jones, he believes that a future is coming when self-driving cars will be common and will eliminate many of the careless mistakes of drivers.
Even if it is very far away, for now he is happy to be one of the few lucky ones in the forefront of technology.
“I’m the kind of maniac who absolutely loves the latest version of software,” he said.
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