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Re:Tesla in autopilot mode crashes into parked Laguna Beach ... by jgibson on Wednesday May 30, 2018 @12:14AM (#17185022)
I think there is more than one. This Audi ad from 2016 shows it driving around with no hands on wheel. They don't get as much press as Tesla, and I don't know how good their system is, but it sure does make a bold implication (although their choice of the "Piloted Driving" name is probably a much safer choice than Teslas.

https://youtu.be/I2j2-DqcPfM

Re:Tesla in autopilot mode crashes into parked Laguna Beach ... by jonknee on Wednesday May 30, 2018 @10:16AM (#17187792)
Well do you think a T. rex is going to be able to drive? If you visit the website [1] the large header text says:

> Audi development engineer Thomas Müller and his team sent “Lu Ban” and “Kong Ming”, two piloted Audi A7 Sportback prototypes, on a very special kind of test drive.

This is a very far cry from what Tesla and Musk are doing. For starters you can't even buy the car yet. If you look for information on "Audi Piloted Driving" [2] you can see they're just as cautious as you'd imagine a German company to be:

> In 2017 Audi will introduce what’s expected to the world’s first to-market Level 3 automated driving system with “Traffic Jam Pilot” in the next generation Audi A8. The system will give drivers the option to travel hands-free up to 35 mph, when certain conditions are met prior to enabling this feature — for instance, the vehicle will ensure it is on a limited-access, divided highway.

Note that it will only work on highways, but also only at non-highway speeds. Stop and go traffic.

> In 2020-2021, Audi will introduce a Level 4 “Highway Pilot” feature—technology similar to what has been demonstrated in our concept vehicle “Jack”—that offers hands-free driving at posted limited access highway speeds in which the vehicle can execute lane changes and pass cars independently.

Seems pretty cautious to me.

[1] https://www.audi.com/en/innovation/piloteddriving/piloted_dr...

[2] http://media.audiusa.com/models/piloted-driving

Re:Tesla in autopilot mode crashes into parked Laguna Beach ... by zrobotics on Wednesday May 30, 2018 @12:58AM (#17185183)
Is it though? Piloted means human controlled, often by a highly trained professional. I agree that auto pilot is a confusing term, but in an aircraft auto pilot systems are actually more primitive than Tesla's offering. To me, it just sounds like a cheesy way to mimic the name people are familiar with for self-driving features without infringing trademark. Because taken literally, it suggests a more capable system than auto pilot does.
Re:Tesla in autopilot mode crashes into parked Laguna Beach ... by JackCh on Wednesday May 30, 2018 @02:03AM (#17185441)
> "but in an aircraft auto pilot systems are actually more primitive than Tesla's offering."

I contend that while that's true, it's not something your typical consumer is aware of. There is a common misconception that modern airline pilots simply press a button then kick back as the plane takes off, flies and land itself.