Rivals auto-autos snap photos to ensure an actual human is behind the wheel
Tesla vehicles can be easily tricked into driving in Autopilot mode when no-one is sitting on the driver seat or controlling the steering wheel, according to a new experiment conducted by advocacy group Consumer Watch. Engineers at the organisation, a non-profit focused on testing commercial products, showed that buckling the safety belt and dangling a small weight from a Tesla Model Y’s steering wheel is to fool it into believing a driver is present. With the weight installed and belt buckled, the engineers were able to cruise around a private track using Autopilot without anyone sitting in the driver seat. Autopilot was turned on before one member of the team slowed the car to a stop and hopped into the passengers side. The vehicle’s speed was adjusted with Autopilot on and it continued to drive even though nobody was behind the wheel. Self-driving systems from BMW, Ford, GM, Subaru, and others use a camera to make sure the driver is always behind the wheel.
