Electric vehicle giant Tesla is now monitoring the driver’s level of drowsiness based on certain indicators, such as yawns, blinks, and more.
This advancement paves the way for a safer electric vehicle ride using advanced driver assistance systems or even without them.
What’s the big deal?
Tesla has long been condemned for the lack of driver monitoring on its ADAS under the controversial Full Self-Driving and Autopilot. The automaker only identifies the steering wheel’s torque, requiring drivers to move the wheel to alert the system that their hands are still on it.
In 2021, Tesla began employing the cabin-facing camera, guaranteeing that drivers do not use a handheld device.
Finally, Tesla has decided to upgrade its driver monitoring system. Renowned Tesla hacker @greentheonly unveiled that the EV giant has started monitoring other drowsiness indicators, such as yawns and blinks.
It is worth noting that the new driver monitoring system does not only apply to Tesla’s Autopilot or FSD Beta. Green asserted that the automaker included the same metrics without using the ADAS features.
“It also looks like they are planning to apply this even when not on AP (which is a very right move!) by seeing how well-centered the driving is, how many lane keep assist warnings and corrections happened lately.”
Green
Unfortunately, the Tesla hacker was not able to discover the automaker’s plans with the data or if it achieved a particular point.
See Also:
- Tesla officially begins FSD Beta v11.3.2 deployment
- Tesla delivers hardware 4 computers (FSD2)-equipped vehicles
- Tesla Autopilot scores lower in driver assistance ratings, according to a testing group
- Tesla starts utilizing automated quality control at its Fremont factory
- Tesla engineer alleged the company faked a “full autopilot” video
It is undeniable that effective driver monitoring systems can increase vehicle safety. However, Tesla owners demand reduced “Autopilot nag” alerts that require them to press the steering wheel. Hopefully, this new development will eventually result in less “nag.”
