4 ms·

If you make an autopilot that is not truly auto, as in automatic, and not truly a pilot, that’s a pretty stupid name for a feature on a 2000kg vehicle that driv

If you make an autopilot that is not truly auto, as in automatic, and not truly a pilot, that’s a pretty stupid name for a feature on a 2000kg vehicle that drives 100kph within a meter of pedestrians.

spijdar 4y ago
I don't keep up with the specifics of Tesla's (or any other company, for that matter) "self-driving"/driving-assist features, and I do think the name is a pretty poor choice for the general public, but by analogy to aviation autopilots, it sounds pretty similar. Bear in mind, lane-assist and even cruise control could also be called "autopilots" by this same reasoning. Autopilots in aviation vary wildly in capabilities, and the term is used pretty broadly to refer to any automated system that controls some aspect of the flight, since even flying straight and level at a fixed altitude is a pretty demanding job over hours. As you alluded to, though, autopilots (in planes) don't generally have to worry about traffic or running into obstacles. The first line of defense is ATC scheduling planes so they won't collide, and in large commercial planes, TCAS transponders that signal the pilot (with a loud aural warning) of traffic that might be a threat, and providing guidance to avoid collisions. For alert pilots, there is usually a lot more time to react to these threats than in cars with only 10s of meters of separation. Some autopilots integrate with TCAS to perform automated avoidance maneuvers, though it's not clear to me how common these are. At any rate, most people know nothing about aviation, and it's either ignorant or deceptive to call it "autopilot" when the average person thinks that implies fully automated as opposed to partially automated piloting. Driving-assist in this case is automatic and a pilot, but not fully automatic. And when you need response times in seconds to subseconds, you can't afford to "zone out" to the extent an aviation pilot might.
- devoutsalsa 4y ago
  Driver assist, or something similar, would be a much more sensible name.

spijdar 4y ago

I don't keep up with the specifics of Tesla's (or any other company, for that matter) "self-driving"/driving-assist features, and I do think the name is a pretty poor choice for the general public, but by analogy to aviation autopilots, it sounds pretty similar. Bear in mind, lane-assist and even cruise control could also be called "autopilots" by this same reasoning. Autopilots in aviation vary wildly in capabilities, and the term is used pretty broadly to refer to any automated system that controls some aspect of the flight, since even flying straight and level at a fixed altitude is a pretty demanding job over hours. As you alluded to, though, autopilots (in planes) don't generally have to worry about traffic or running into obstacles. The first line of defense is ATC scheduling planes so they won't collide, and in large commercial planes, TCAS transponders that signal the pilot (with a loud aural warning) of traffic that might be a threat, and providing guidance to avoid collisions. For alert pilots, there is usually a lot more time to react to these threats than in cars with only 10s of meters of separation. Some autopilots integrate with TCAS to perform automated avoidance maneuvers, though it's not clear to me how common these are. At any rate, most people know nothing about aviation, and it's either ignorant or deceptive to call it "autopilot" when the average person thinks that implies fully automated as opposed to partially automated piloting. Driving-assist in this case is automatic and a pilot, but not fully automatic. And when you need response times in seconds to subseconds, you can't afford to "zone out" to the extent an aviation pilot might.

devoutsalsa 4y ago
Driver assist, or something similar, would be a much more sensible name.