Tesla Autopilot Version 8 Shifts Focus To Radars

Tesla has outlined improvements to its Autopilot self-driving software, with the new ‘Version 8’ to channel a heavier focus on radar detection.

As reported last month, the radar fitted to all Teslas since October 2014 will be of more use to the Autopilot system thanks to “more advanced signal processing” following the upgrade.

Tesla said the radar was initially designed to support the on-board camera system with safety features including semi-autonomous driving.

But the carmaker has had a rethink - saying “we now believe [the radar] can be used as a primary control sensor without requiring the camera to confirm visual image recognition”. 

Version 8 of Autopilot uses the same hardware, but Tesla says it unlocks access to six times as many radar objects, gaining more information per object.

Technology