this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2025
1369 points (99.4% liked)

Not The Onion

14986 readers
2259 users here now

Welcome

We're not The Onion! Not affiliated with them in any way! Not operated by them in any way! All the news here is real!

The Rules

Posts must be:

  1. Links to news stories from...
  2. ...credible sources, with...
  3. ...their original headlines, that...
  4. ...would make people who see the headline think, “That has got to be a story from The Onion, America’s Finest News Source.”

Please also avoid duplicates.

Comments and post content must abide by the server rules for Lemmy.world and generally abstain from trollish, bigoted, or otherwise disruptive behavior that makes this community less fun for everyone.

And that’s basically it!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Mark Rober just set up one of the most interesting self-driving tests of 2025, and he did it by imitating Looney Tunes. The former NASA engineer and current YouTube mad scientist recreated the classic gag where Wile E. Coyote paints a tunnel onto a wall to fool the Road Runner.

Only this time, the test subject wasn’t a cartoon bird… it was a self-driving Tesla Model Y.

The result? A full-speed, 40 MPH impact straight into the wall. Watch the video and tell us what you think!

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 1 points 39 minutes ago

According to Ol' Elon the robo-taxi service has been a couple months away since 2017 or so. I can't imagine it's much closer now than then.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 hours ago (4 children)

All these years, I always thought all self driving cars used LiDAR or something to see in 3D/through fog. How was this allowed on the roads for so long?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

tesla uses cameras only, i think waymo uses lidar.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 35 minutes ago* (last edited 34 minutes ago)

Most non Tesla brands that have some sort of self-driving functionality use lidar and/or radar. I've got a BMW iX and as far as I know it uses cameras, radar, lidar, and ultrasonic sensors.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 36 minutes ago

they generally do

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

I remember reading that tesla only uses cameras for it's self driving. My 2018 Honda uses radar for the adaptive cruise so the technology exists, musk is just an idiot.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Does it? My 2023 model throws a shit fit if it's cold and I assume the camera covers are iced over.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 38 minutes ago

It probably has cameras as well, for lane guidance etc.

My Mazda complains if the windscreen is dirty for the same reason.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Radar doesn't detect stopped objects at high speed. It'd hit the wall too on radar alone.

This has to be solved by vision and or lidar.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 hours ago

Yep, I could see someone placing a billboard like that with a cliff behind it.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

Honestly all the fails with the kid dummy were a way bigger deal than the wall test. The kid ones will happen a hundred times more than the wall scenario.

Some sort of radar or lidar should 100% be required on autonomous cars.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

I think insurances will require that is it comes to self driving at least here in Europe.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

I fully agree, but sadly, investors likely care more about their cars hitting walls than hitting kids. Killing a kid or pedestrian in the US is often a very cheap fine. When my uncle was run over on a sidewalk next to his son, the police ruled it an accident and the city refused to do anything. Same thing happened when my friend was ran over in a bike lane.... So killing humans is probably cheaper than hitting a wall.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 hours ago

Interesting that in the most consumerist nation on earth, objects have more value than people.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Suddenly, there are more Yellow Brick Road murals everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

A building owner would not want cars crashing into their property though. Why would they get a mural to intentionally deceive a robot car?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

Because its fucking funny.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

+1...a classic!

[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 hours ago
load more comments
view more: next ›