this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2025
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Mark Rober just set up one of the most interesting self-driving tests of 2025, and he did it by imitating Looney Tunes. The former NASA engineer and current YouTube mad scientist recreated the classic gag where Wile E. Coyote paints a tunnel onto a wall to fool the Road Runner.

Only this time, the test subject wasn’t a cartoon bird… it was a self-driving Tesla Model Y.

The result? A full-speed, 40 MPH impact straight into the wall. Watch the video and tell us what you think!

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[–] RambaZamba@feddit.org 41 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Things that happen when you rely exclusively on optical sensors, i.e. cameras. But that's just cheaper, more money for Nazi Elon.

[–] Inkstainthebat@pawb.social 2 points 2 hours ago

Are we reeeeally sure optical sensors with fast image recognition software are cheaper than LiDAR?

[–] Jeffool@lemmy.world 8 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

This would be hilarious if it weren't for shitty cars causing deaths.

That said, I always wondered why we don't find a system like RFID that could penetrate concrete and asphalt, and plant passive receivers in roads? We re-pave roads so damn often in this country (the U.S.) it seems like we could've knocked it out in the past couple of decades, minus our most rural areas.

I know RFID itself isn't strong enough, but I imagine that would've been an easier problem than figuring our complete self driving. Not to mention making GPS a secondary system for U.S. road travel in most cases.

Maybe it's just a dumb shower thought?

[–] bufalo1973@lemm.ee 7 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

I have another idea: echolocation and laser measurement.

[–] towerful@programming.dev 4 points 2 hours ago

Echolocation is specifically audio based.
Lidar is a similar technique, but much more accurate and precise.
Project a grid of laser beam, read when the laser bounces back, you know the distance to that part of the grid.

[–] Jeffool@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I don't know the value of echolocation in this case, as I'm generally ignorant here, but it's straight wild to me that they went purely on visuals.

[–] dan@upvote.au 7 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Tesla used to also have radar (and maybe lidar?) but they removed it as a cost cutting measure. If you ever see older videos of a Tesla slowing down or stopping due to a potential collision a few cars ahead, that's from before they switched to only relying on cameras. The collision avoidance was significantly better back then.

[–] SirFasy@lemmy.world 43 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Turns out having radar is rather important..

[–] KayLeadfoot@fedia.io 29 points 14 hours ago

It's dirt cheap, too. If this was a cost-cutting measure, it was a thoroughly idiotic one. Which feels like the mark... of a certain someone I can think of

[–] Yoga@lemmy.ca 19 points 15 hours ago

Insurance fraud is going to bankrupt Tesla robotaxis faster than an incompetent CEO ever could.

There will be too many ways to defeat the cameras and not having LiDAR unlike the rest of the industry may prove to be found to be a failure of duty of care.

[–] magnus919@lemmy.brandyapple.com 79 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

I remember Elon foolishly saying his cars don’t need radar or lidar. Even software-disabling radar in cars that already had the hardware.

[–] gmtom@lemmy.world 15 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Not even just his cars, he thinks the MILITARY, doesn't need radar and can just use cameras to spot and track stealth fighters.

He's a fucking lunatic.

[–] towerful@programming.dev 1 points 2 hours ago

As an augmentation, the ability to spot and track objects visually would be amazing.
But then planes just have to fly above 10k ft, and pretty much guaranteed cloud cover.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 25 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I mean his right, his cars don't need radar or lidar. They just drive into things.

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[–] lunarul@lemmy.world 36 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

My vacuum would pass that test... why is a Tesla worse at this?

[–] bier 21 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

In short because Elon (wrongly) believes you only need cameras, he made the claim people also drive with just 2 eyes.

The thing is, we recognize a truck with stickers of a stopsign, while AI vision gets confused.

Waymo (Googles self driving side hussle) was build on lidar and other sensors and has been using robot taxis for many years now in geofenced specific areas.

[–] Yoga@lemmy.ca 12 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

The thing is, we recognize a truck with stickers of a stopsign, while AI vision gets confused.

Lmao would it be illegal to put a stop sign on the back of your car?

[–] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 6 points 11 hours ago

I was thinking the same thing. What would happen if you popped one out of the back of your car while driving in front of a self driving car on the freeway?

[–] Naevermix@lemmy.world 22 points 17 hours ago

Make Elon test ride the first Tesla robotaxi and there's a chance the funniest thing of all time will happen.

[–] faberyayo@lemm.ee 21 points 17 hours ago

Some cartoon shit

[–] kameecoding@lemmy.world 84 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

This is why it's fucking stupid Tesla removed Lidar sensors and relies on cameras only.

But also who would want a tesla, fuck em

[–] AreaKode@lemmy.world 35 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I was horrified when I learned that the autopilot relies entirely on cameras. Nope, nope, nope.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 14 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

Leon said other sensors were unnecessary because human driving is all done through the sense of sight...proving that he has no idea how humans work either (despite purportedly being a human).

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 28 points 21 hours ago

They never had lidarr. They used to have radar and uss but they decided "vision" was good enough. This conveniently occurred when they had supply chain issues during covid.

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[–] EaterOfLentils@lemmy.world 51 points 21 hours ago (6 children)

Apparently they keep getting tickets in China because they didn't bother to adjust the settings to accommodate Chinese roads and traffic laws. Result is Tesla is getting utterly crushed by BYD in their one major market that doesn't care about Elon's antics.

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[–] kamen@lemmy.world 18 points 18 hours ago
[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 14 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I am very glad that Elon and Trump have overreached and now Tesla is suffering. I hope Starlink is the next domino to fall.

[–] Atmoro@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Yup plus the European Union is making their alternative to launch in a year or 2

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[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 18 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

New stuff to add to the car kit bag for the 21st century

  1. poster board to block usonic weapons
  2. black paint, white paint, roller, brush to paint tunnels on walls
  3. orange cones to pen in self driving cars
[–] liverbe@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago

And a "Yikes!" sign 🤣

[–] Ghyste@sh.itjust.works 279 points 1 day ago (36 children)

I seem to recall that fElon prevented the self driving team from utilizing LIDAR for any part of the system, instead demanding that everything run off of optical input. Does anyone else remember the same?

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[–] jewbies@lemmynsfw.com 17 points 20 hours ago

That's some Wiley Coyote shit if I ever saw it.

[–] mennorobert@lemmy.world 27 points 22 hours ago

There's a very simple solution to this. BUILD MORE TRAINS!

[–] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 58 points 1 day ago (4 children)
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