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>it is far from earning its namesake. The FTC should require them to stop using the term Autopilot. The common understanding of that term makes it misleading.

>it is far from earning its namesake. The FTC should require them to stop using the term Autopilot. The common understanding of that term makes it misleading. Words matter and Tesla is trying to have the benefit of the term without the responsibility for what it implies.

bapbap 9y ago
I agree, something more like Volvo's "Pilot Assist" makes sense to me.
- justherefortart 9y ago
  Adaptive Cruise Control seems even better.
  - Joky 9y ago
    ACC is a different feature that exists separately: it does not touch the steering.
- GeekyBear 9y ago
  Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Keeping Assistance seems to be the most common industry name for it.
drbawb 9y ago
Autopilot, as used by the aviation industry, still requires an attentive pilot. It is a pilot-aid to reduce workload, it does not obviate the need for a pilot prepared to maintain control of the aircraft or correct for unexpected conditions. Autopilots can and do malfunction, in this video[0] it attempts to make a >1G maneuver unprompted. You'll note the pilot in command in this video is actively scanning for traffic, he is physically positioned to take control of the aircraft, he is paying attention to instrumentation, and is actively participating on frequency. In other words despite having an autopilot: he is still piloting the aircraft. I don't think the issue here is Tesla misusing the word. The issue is that the common (non-pilot) understanding of the term is wrong. People piloting heavy machinery have an onus to maintain their currency & proficiency, as well as be ready to correct for faults in their instrumentation and pilot aids. Autopilot is intended to be a tool to reduce pilot workload so you can focus on other aspects of maintaining correct control of the vehicle. (Namely in an aircraft it assists you with aviation, leaving you better able to navigate & communicate.) Instead what we are seeing with these assists in cars is that people are using these pilot aids and then engaging in unrelated distractions. [0]: https://youtu.be/QbvfkKyurJI?t=13m25s https://youtu.be/QbvfkKyurJI?t=13m25s
- John_KZ 9y ago
  If you engage the autopilot in a (certified) plane at cruise level and glimpse over a topographical map of the area, you can practically fall asleep, wake up and you'll still be completely safe (until you run out of fuel). This argument/parallelism with aviation is null. Airplane autopilot: Engage, divert attention for minutes, not die (consistently). Tesla autopilot: Engage, divert attention for 10 seconds, die (also consistently). Airplane autopilot!=Tesla autopilot. Name is misused. Also take a moment to appreciate what you say "It's ok to use this name on cars, because professional pilots know you can't completely rely on plane autopilots. People should know that and if they die it's their fault." The video you provided shows a very unusual case. Most autopilots on small aircraft are not really running software so such "bugs" are virtually non-existent, and in large aircraft they only use tested-to-death systems and they practically never bug out.
  - markshead 9y ago
    Do most people think that autopilot is used to avoid other planes and obstacles like mountains? I always assumed autopilot was basically like cruise control for planes and just kept it level, at a fixed direction, and constant speed. Same thing as autopilot on a sailboat.
    - John_KZ 9y ago
      Old autopilots did exactly that, in addition to keeping a predefined climb/sink rate (long ascents/descents are really boring to do manually in small aircraft). New autopilots in commercial airliners can do many things (follow GPS tracks or radio navigation waypoints, control engine throttle, line up and bring the airplane 50-100ft over the runway etc) but they never do collision avoidance, landings or terrain mapping. Airliners also have alarms for low altitude (most have radar altimeters) but they prompt the pilot for action, they're not supposed to avoid anything on their own. Apparently Tesla doesn't even do that.
      - tzs 9y ago
        Modern airliners can and sometimes do do automatic landings [1] [2] [3] [4]. It's done when visibility is very poor. If it is not required, most pilots prefer manual landing. It's less work. The autoland system is more complicated to set up, and is more work to monitor in order to take over if something goes wrong. But when the visibility is low enough, many airlines require their pilots to use it. [1] https://www.quora.com/Why-cant-airplane-landings-be-conducted-in-autopilot https://www.quora.com/Why-cant-airplane-landings-be-conducte... [2] https://www.quora.com/How-often-are-airliners-landed-using-autopilot-Is-it-common-practice-to-land-using-autoland-even-in-good-weather-or-is-it-only-done-in-situations-with-limited-visibility-Is-the-use-of-autoland-more-common-in-some-parts-of-the-world-than-others https://www.quora.com/How-often-are-airliners-landed-using-a... [3] https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2014/02/09/autoland-low-visibility-landings/5283931/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2014/02/... [4] https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/technical/65056-autoland-cat-3-landing.html https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/technical/65056-autoland-...

bapbap 9y ago

I agree, something more like Volvo's "Pilot Assist" makes sense to me.

justherefortart 9y ago
Adaptive Cruise Control seems even better.
- Joky 9y ago
  ACC is a different feature that exists separately: it does not touch the steering.
GeekyBear 9y ago
Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Keeping Assistance seems to be the most common industry name for it.

drbawb 9y ago

Autopilot, as used by the aviation industry, still requires an attentive pilot. It is a pilot-aid to reduce workload, it does not obviate the need for a pilot prepared to maintain control of the aircraft or correct for unexpected conditions. Autopilots can and do malfunction, in this video[0] it attempts to make a >1G maneuver unprompted. You'll note the pilot in command in this video is actively scanning for traffic, he is physically positioned to take control of the aircraft, he is paying attention to instrumentation, and is actively participating on frequency. In other words despite having an autopilot: he is still piloting the aircraft. I don't think the issue here is Tesla misusing the word. The issue is that the common (non-pilot) understanding of the term is wrong. People piloting heavy machinery have an onus to maintain their currency & proficiency, as well as be ready to correct for faults in their instrumentation and pilot aids. Autopilot is intended to be a tool to reduce pilot workload so you can focus on other aspects of maintaining correct control of the vehicle. (Namely in an aircraft it assists you with aviation, leaving you better able to navigate & communicate.) Instead what we are seeing with these assists in cars is that people are using these pilot aids and then engaging in unrelated distractions. [0]: https://youtu.be/QbvfkKyurJI?t=13m25s https://youtu.be/QbvfkKyurJI?t=13m25s

John_KZ 9y ago
If you engage the autopilot in a (certified) plane at cruise level and glimpse over a topographical map of the area, you can practically fall asleep, wake up and you'll still be completely safe (until you run out of fuel). This argument/parallelism with aviation is null. Airplane autopilot: Engage, divert attention for minutes, not die (consistently). Tesla autopilot: Engage, divert attention for 10 seconds, die (also consistently). Airplane autopilot!=Tesla autopilot. Name is misused. Also take a moment to appreciate what you say "It's ok to use this name on cars, because professional pilots know you can't completely rely on plane autopilots. People should know that and if they die it's their fault." The video you provided shows a very unusual case. Most autopilots on small aircraft are not really running software so such "bugs" are virtually non-existent, and in large aircraft they only use tested-to-death systems and they practically never bug out.
- markshead 9y ago
  Do most people think that autopilot is used to avoid other planes and obstacles like mountains? I always assumed autopilot was basically like cruise control for planes and just kept it level, at a fixed direction, and constant speed. Same thing as autopilot on a sailboat.
  - John_KZ 9y ago
    Old autopilots did exactly that, in addition to keeping a predefined climb/sink rate (long ascents/descents are really boring to do manually in small aircraft). New autopilots in commercial airliners can do many things (follow GPS tracks or radio navigation waypoints, control engine throttle, line up and bring the airplane 50-100ft over the runway etc) but they never do collision avoidance, landings or terrain mapping. Airliners also have alarms for low altitude (most have radar altimeters) but they prompt the pilot for action, they're not supposed to avoid anything on their own. Apparently Tesla doesn't even do that.
    - tzs 9y ago
      Modern airliners can and sometimes do do automatic landings [1] [2] [3] [4]. It's done when visibility is very poor. If it is not required, most pilots prefer manual landing. It's less work. The autoland system is more complicated to set up, and is more work to monitor in order to take over if something goes wrong. But when the visibility is low enough, many airlines require their pilots to use it. [1] https://www.quora.com/Why-cant-airplane-landings-be-conducted-in-autopilot https://www.quora.com/Why-cant-airplane-landings-be-conducte... [2] https://www.quora.com/How-often-are-airliners-landed-using-autopilot-Is-it-common-practice-to-land-using-autoland-even-in-good-weather-or-is-it-only-done-in-situations-with-limited-visibility-Is-the-use-of-autoland-more-common-in-some-parts-of-the-world-than-others https://www.quora.com/How-often-are-airliners-landed-using-a... [3] https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2014/02/09/autoland-low-visibility-landings/5283931/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2014/02/... [4] https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/technical/65056-autoland-cat-3-landing.html https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/technical/65056-autoland-...