Tesla’s Autopilot feature mistakes moon for yellow traffic light

Team Udayavani, Jul 27, 2021, 10:11 AM IST

Twitter user Jordon Nelson has shared a video of the autopilot system of a Tesla car confusing the yellow moon in the sky with a yellow traffic light.

In the viral video, you can see the car’s tablet screen and the view from the windscreen together. We can see that the moon, which appears to be yellow, is far and high in the sky. On the car’s interface screen, the chosen path of the car is visible inside two parallel blue lines and another car, running ahead of the user’s car, is also seen on the screen. Suddenly, a yellow traffic light appears on the screen out of nowhere.

As the traffic light appears to come closer and pass, another yellow traffic light also emerges on the screen, and then another. A total of 13 yellow traffic lights appear on the screen and pass.

Although, there is no yellow traffic light at all. What is there, is a yellow moon, far and high in the sky. Nelson said that the car’s perception algorithm seems to mistake the moon for a traffic light. The car kept wanting to slow down.

Nelson tagged the car manufacturer company’s CEO and billionaire Elon Musk asking to have his team look into the issue.

Hey @elonmusk you might want to have your team look into the moon tricking the autopilot system. The car thinks the moon is a yellow traffic light and wanted to keep slowing down. ?? @Teslarati @teslaownersSV @TeslaJoy pic.twitter.com/6iPEsLAudD

— Jordan Nelson (@JordanTeslaTech) July 23, 2021

Internet was quick to notice and below are few reactions.

To the moon!

Why vision alone is terribly insufficient—like legs for walking.

Evolution didn’t invent wheels—humans did.
Evolution didn’t invent radar + lidar—humans did.

This is why solid state 4D lidar like Aeva matters alot https://t.co/Afgi1bauhJ

— Josh Wolfe (@wolfejosh) July 27, 2021