Key Takeaways
1. The cabin microphones in Tesla robotaxis are always on to detect emergency vehicle sirens, enhancing safety.
2. Sound detection allows robotaxis to respond to their environment, such as pulling over for approaching emergency vehicles.
3. The system handles sound detection locally and does not store or send data to Tesla without user consent.
4. A demonstration showed a Model Y robotaxi effectively responding to ambulance sirens before passengers noticed.
5. Tesla has introduced a new windshield wiper routine for robotaxis to ensure the FSD cameras have a clear view, enhancing safety during operation.
The cabin camera in a Tesla robotaxi might only activate when support is contacted, yet the microphones are always on.
Why the Microphones Are Active
A recent video featuring a driverless Model Y stopping for an ambulance illustrates this point. During the information session before launching its Robotaxi service in Austin, TX, Tesla explained the necessity of keeping these cabin microphones operational. They are meant to pick up sirens from emergency vehicles, enabling the “unsupervised” Full Self-Driving (FSD) software to react appropriately and pull over.
According to Tesla, sound detection lets the Robotaxi automatically recognize and respond to its surrounding environment, like stopping for nearby sirens and yielding to approaching emergency vehicles. When a safety occurrence is identified, the media volume inside the car decreases, and a notification appears on the center screen for the rider. This sound detection for safety events is handled locally within the vehicle and isn’t linked to your Tesla account. This means the system can’t store or send this data to Tesla, even during a critical safety incident, unless you opt to allow it.
Demonstration of the Feature
A cool example from a nighttime Tesla robotaxi ride demonstrates that this feature functions properly. The Model Y picked up on ambulance sirens before the passengers noticed and moved to the side of the road to let the emergency vehicle through, continuing on to its destination afterward.
Tesla has created additional FSD features for when its vehicles, like the driverless Model Y currently operating in Austin, are in robotaxi mode. For instance, a new cleaning routine for the Model Y’s windshield wipers has been introduced, which makes three passes over the area directly in front of the FSD camera.
Enhanced Cleaning for Safety
The intent is to clear any dust or pollen that might build up and block the camera’s view, even if the windshield appears clean to the passengers, according to Tesla’s Yun-Ta Tsai. He noted that the cleaning is designed for the camera’s perspective, not the passenger’s. While the windshield may seem clear from the passenger side, dust can accumulate over time. Thus, the system proactively cleans periodically. Typically, people don’t notice how Waymo maintains their vehicles since their sensor suite is mounted on the roof, but they clean frequently because even light dust can cause unwanted diffraction patterns for LiDAR systems.
Even though Tesla’s robotaxi mode doesn’t rely on a complicated sensor setup with LiDAR to operate, the FSD cameras still require more frequent cleaning as a safety measure. Tesla hasn’t indicated whether this new windshield wiper routine will be available to regular owners who utilize FSD and could also benefit from this proactive cleaning.
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