A Tesla Model X equipped with LiDAR sensors was located in Los Altos, California, last week. Teslarati reader William Conner shared photos of the Model X after reading the article about the Tesla Model Y seen with similar equipment. Another reader, Tyler Wellman, spotted Model Y in Santa Cruz, CA, while cycling to work.
As noted in the previous article, these sightings are not the first time that a Tesla vehicle has been located with LiDAR sensors. A Model S was located with a set of sensors in Palo Alto in July. A model 3 was also seen with similar equipment in nature.
Based on the sightings, it appears that Tesla has a collection of S3XY cars equipped with sophisticated imaging equipment, including what appears to be several Luminar Hydra LiDAR units. Elon Musk was open about his opinion on LiDAR in relation to autonomous vehicles. As such, the Tesla community may be more than a little confused by a model X and a model Y with LiDAR equipment.
In September, @DDotJ found a patent that can explain the recent sighting of Model X and Model Y. “In several modalities, a machine learning model trained using auxiliary sensor data can accurately predict the result of an auxiliary sensor without the need for the auxiliary sensor physicist.
“For example, training vehicles can be equipped with auxiliary sensors … to collect training data. The training data can then be used to train a machine learning model to predict the outcome of an auxiliary sensor, such as radar, LiDAR or another sensor, ”says the patent.
Twitter user @DDotJ speculated that Tesla may be using LiDAR sensors to validate its 3D distance estimation systems. Tesla launched its limited FSD beta in late October, and Musk noted that some more revisions to the advanced driver assistance system would need to be implemented before releasing it to more members with early access. Recent sightings suggest that Tesla may be conducting a ground check, or perhaps collecting more data for the larger version of Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.
Tesla LiDAR sensor patent US20200265247A1 by Maria Merano on Scribd
Many thanks to William Conner and Tyler Wellman for contacting Teslarati. The Teslarati team is always happy to hear from you. If you have any tips, send an email to [email protected] or contact me at [email protected].
