Cameras Can Now Predict An Accident Before It Happens

The latest Tesla update brings an improvement that is surprising to say the least. The car is now capable of predicting an accident thanks to its cameras and preparing the passenger compartment accordingly to save precious milliseconds.

We don’t realize it, but automobile safety has made immense progress over the decades. Appearing and then becoming widespread at the end of the last century, the airbag has largely contributed to improving passive safety by saving thousands of lives. Without going into detail, the operation of this system relied on a myriad of accelerometers and pressure sensors working in concert. When abnormal deceleration was detected, the airbags deployed. A matter of a handful of milliseconds.

70 milliseconds ahead: how Tesla defies the physics of accidents

Many models today are capable of “feeling” danger during sudden braking or loss of grip. The seat belt pretensioners then come into action while the vehicle doors close quickly. Tesla is now going even further via its last remote update. To detect dangerous situations, the brand does not rely on traditional sensors, but on cameras. That’s all the difference since even the airbags can deploy 70 milliseconds in advance.

Tesla Vision: when artificial intelligence replaces shock sensors

Of course, inflating airbags too early is just as dangerous as inflating them too late. Reason why cameras rely on neural networks to predict collisions as accurately as possible. In addition to the belts, which will be tightened at the right time, the airbags will then receive the optimal pressure to deploy at the best time, and therefore maximize their effectiveness. Here is finally an update that makes sense instead of the useless gimmicks that Tesla has continued to bring to its vehicles.

NHTSA investigation: this update is timely to reassure regulators

It must be said that this upgrade is once again timely since the Californian brand is currently under federal review. It is precisely to him criticized for relying solely on cameras to ensure the safety of its occupants. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently opened an official investigation into nearly 2.4 million Teslas on the road. The problem ? A failure of the FSD autonomous driving system when visibility is degraded.

The crazy all-camera bet: Tesla finally proves that its strategy is the right one?

By demonstrating that its cameras can now anticipate collisions, Tesla wants to prove that its strategy is viable. Currently, competitors can hardly accurately predict accidents using their sensors alone. Mercedes and BMW have already bitten their fingers, with an expensive and not necessarily reliable autonomous driving system based on sensors. By capitalizing on its long-mocked cameras, Tesla therefore still has a card to play.