Tesla Smart Summon vs. Obstacle Course: How Does Smart Summon Work?

I put Tesla's Smart Summon feature to the test on stationary obstacles to learn more about how it worked.

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[Jimmy_Jones]

Today I learned that traffic cones are called pylons.

[rtsstream]

supposedly they are using openstreetmaps because you can map parking lots with it . Users have done tests in lots and then edited the lot on OSM and did the test again and it immediately used the new data..apparently updating as fast as a couple hours with the new map info.

[DerKatzeSonne]

I think it relies on openstreemap, not on Google Maps. This has been discussed on reddit a lot now. (maybe even the map interface uses openstreetmap, if you try to press the "legal" button on the bottom left corner, I would be interested to know what it says)

[davide]

Objects lower than ultrasonic sensors simply can't be detected

[Sekutma]

I'm impressed with the tests you performed. I'm always hesitate to use it because I haven't yet figured out it's decision making process.

The conclusion at the end about how auto-pilot used to be a party trick was pretty thought provoking. I do think it will be much less time before it is perfected. For starters Tesla has so many more vehicles on the road. The data they have to teach the AI is growing exponentially. Plus the freeway driving might seem like the "simple" task on your list but I would like to suggest it was much harder than the self summon and city driving will be.

Consider a concept sometimes referred to 'accumulated design'. My favorite parallel is the foundation of a house. A house can look like anything but it must be built on basically the same foundation. How long did it take before that foundation was figured out? Millennia and one could argue that it still isn't perfect but it won't be getting much better than it is now.

Likewise Tesla needed to teach the AI what a road is, what the lines mean, what this object is and why this smaller object isn't as important. They had to teach it physics, velocity, acceleration. I speak of it like a person and I want to be clear it isn't learning the way you and I do but it IS learning those concepts. Now that it knows them, it will only be that much better at absorbing new information that is built on top of that fundamental foundation that needed to come first before the more "complex" tasks.

Trust me, the hard part was teaching it how to drive. The freeway was just the safest way to start collecting useful data from the real world.

[stevebothe]

Hi Kevin, I think you'll find that the 12 "Ultrasonic" sensors play the biggest part in detecting objects close to the car. You didn't mention them.

[mauriceread]

IF the maxomum distance for Smart Summon is 250 feet, why would you not just leave it set at that distance? That is, what is the use of the 25 to 250 distanced setting for?

[nowhereman]

Thanks for the video Kevin, this was a great idea. As a technician and someone who's been working with computers since the early 80's I find it weird and maybe it's just me but sometimes feel sorry for the car when you can see its struggling to get to it's destination but can't, it's like watching a puppy that wants to get out of it's cage.
It's not just a computer program but instead it's an amazing real world demonstration of Artificial Intelligence in action.
You mentioned that you can tell how serious Tesla is about autonomy and how hard they are working on it and I couldn't agree more. I think a great indication of how confident Tesla is about their full self driving software & hardware can be taken from a recent interview with Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen on Ryan McCaffrey's podcast Ride The Lightning (episode 220). Franz said we have ideas about what a fully autonomous vehicle would be and also saying it’s going to be a pretty rapidly changing world in what the transportation world will look like in the near future. Of course they have to plan things years in advance but to hear that directly from their designer I think is a really good indication of Tesla's confidence about it's technology.

[JohnSapato]

I think they should add a remote control mode that's limited to 5 mph. But I'm not so sure about that idea.

[TechWithKishan]

I like how good FSD beta is but smart summon is dumber then a rock.

[DelanoJ]

Try doin it at boat launch, see if it will drive into water

[CP-pygp]

What app are you using? All I have been able to do is tap "Come to Me" on my Tesla app. How do you use Google maps to summon your car? Thanks

[NX]

If Tesla made av SUV would it be called the SUEV?

[raheeb]

Kevin, do you have the latest update that detects orange cones on the screen? That would be important for your cones tests. Anyhow: One thing is clear: It's loads and miles better than anything else anyone has on offer - which is nonexistent - and when they do come, because of the way Tesla collects data from their fleet, it'll always be way ahead. And even when someone else implements similar data collection methods, the fleet size will be much smaller by then.

[jonasbeer]

Nice Video


Greetings from Germany

[ZainZafar]

It should live stream camera views to the phone for owners to see the obstacles, debris, etc.

[SCWgreg]

Great vid! Good set of tests, and spot on assessment on where it’s at, how it’s learning, and where it’s going.

[dereksmith]

Great video. Would love to see how the cars react to living things for example toddlers, dogs and cats people laying prone etc.

Not saying you should use live examples but perhaps toys of same size. And also work out if there are blind spots like child or pet close to the rear bumper crouched down. Like they might be at someone's driveway.

[jeremyeharris]

Kevin, great video - well made and interesting, thank you.

Your comment on not wanting the car to stop for insignificant obstacles being a good thing (I agree), got me thinking. Perhaps in a future video you could run a series of tests to see what the threshold is for everyday obstacles the car will detect and stop for. For example, you could start with a small pile of leaf matter and work your way up to an empty cardboard box and a bunch of different things in-between. Also, does it make a difference if the objects are moving (i.e. the leaves are blowing in the wind)?

[UTUBESUCK]

High quality content. Liked and subbed.