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 27 points 8 hours ago

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

[–] Jeffool@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 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 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I have another idea: echolocation and laser measurement.

[–] Jeffool@lemmy.world 1 points 5 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 3 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 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 36 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Turns out having radar is rather important..

[–] KayLeadfoot@fedia.io 21 points 11 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 15 points 11 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 77 points 16 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 12 points 8 hours ago

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.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 24 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] JadenSmith@sh.itjust.works 8 points 14 hours ago

Yeah but the radar/lidar may allow them to drive into things quicker.

[–] Naevermix@lemmy.world 20 points 14 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 19 points 13 hours ago

Some cartoon shit

[–] lunarul@lemmy.world 32 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

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

[–] bier@feddit.nl 19 points 12 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 11 points 11 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 7 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?

[–] kamen@lemmy.world 18 points 14 hours ago
[–] kameecoding@lemmy.world 82 points 18 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

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 28 points 17 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.

[–] AreaKode@lemmy.world 33 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 12 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 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).

[–] Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com 19 points 17 hours ago

They also removed radar, which is what allowed them to make all of those “it saw something three vehicles ahead and braked to avoid a pileup that hadn’t even started yet” videos. Removing radar was the single most impactful change Tesla made in regards to FSD, and it’s all because Musk basically decided “people drive fine with just their eyes, so cars should too.”

[–] EaterOfLentils@lemmy.world 49 points 17 hours ago (1 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.

[–] accideath@lemmy.world 7 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Huh, now I’m mildly interested in the differences in traffic laws in China vs US vs Europe that lead to Teslas getting more tickets in China than elsewhere.

[–] elephantium@lemmy.world 8 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I found this article. My takeaways were:

  1. No driving in bus lanes during certain times of day.
  2. No using the shoulder as a turn lane.
  3. No using a bike lane as a turn lane.
[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Wow

(Basedbasedbasedbasedbasedbasedbased)

This post brought to you by American car centrism

[–] elephantium@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Not sure what "American car centrism" has to do with Chinese traffic regulations tbh

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 3 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

I think their regs, while seemingly very basic rules of the road, are based because I live in the US and we have bike lanes here that just whole ass turn into turn lanes with almost no warning. I wish we could get basic decency for everyone on the road, too.

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

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

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 9 points 14 hours ago

Good.

I'm not rooting for America to fail, but I'm 100% rooting for Elon to fail.

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 18 points 16 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 11 hours ago

And a "Yikes!" sign 🤣

[–] jewbies@lemmynsfw.com 17 points 16 hours ago

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

[–] mennorobert@lemmy.world 27 points 18 hours ago

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

[–] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 58 points 21 hours ago (4 children)
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