I don't think that'll be the end of it.
Posted on 07/07/2023 2:34:53 PM PDT by Libloather
Amazon has pulled listings for 'steering wheel weights' that allow Tesla drivers to trick the vehicle into thinking their hands are on the wheel in self-driving mode.
The Seattle-based firm was joined by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba in purging the products from their stores after they were linked to accidents.
The gadgets clamp onto the steering wheel and trick the car's sensors into thinking that they are a pair of driver's hands. Autopilot mode in a Tesla still requires a driver to be holding the wheel for safety reasons.
In March, a Tesla struck a teenager without slowing as he was getting off a school bus in North Carolina, leaving him seriously injured. In December, a driver in Germany fell asleep at the wheel and led police down a highway at 70mph.
Carnegie Mellon University professor Philip Koopman pointed the blame squarely at Tesla founder Elon Musk for the confusion concerning Autopilot mode.
'Elon Musk's saying it's supposed to drive itself. That's what they're going to hear. How do you think they're going to behave?' Koopman told The Washington Post.
The Post reports that recently two different brands of wheel weight were listed as the top two releases in Amazon's 'automotive steering wheel' section. The retail for between $30 and $75, more than 100 were sold in the last month, reports the Post.
'Products intended to circumvent driver assistance systems or other car safety features, including counterweight rings and autopilot nag reduction devices, are prohibited,' Amazon spokesperson Samantha Boyd told the newspaper.
'The products in question were evasively listed, have been removed, and we are taking corrective action. Amazon does not tolerate illegal or evasive behavior, and we enforce bad actors that make factual misrepresentations to customers,' she added.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Tesla knew self driving cars would kill people. The lawyers projected the costs involved with Tesla’s liability for this. I wonder what dollar value they calculated for each individual killed...
They should be sued for 100 times that amount.
That means I have to stay awake when “driving”. And actually drive. Somebody always has to be a party pooper.
Never thought of that application. I have my own steering wheel weights in order to counter-act my car pulling to the right. Works great!
Consider having your front end aligned. ;-D
Then don't call it autopilot.
I don't think that'll be the end of it.
Presently seeking the home version.
Well, you drop a steering wheel weight into a sock and...
Saw some kid on youtube hang ankle weights to the tesla steering wheel on a major highway then crawled into the backseat for a nice 3 hour nap...
(trick the vehicle)
Using this one weird trick!!!
Should work out fine.
Until August 29, 1997...
But if Arnie can make a come back like H Ford who knows what the future holds...;O
I doubt this is just for Tesla. My wife’s Honda works the same way, but doesn’t follow GPS. It just follows the lanes. It will drive the car, maintain distance and speed with traffic. In stop and go traffic, it will stop and go as long as you don’t touch the brake pedal. I’m sure other brands like Toyota are similar. It just requires some steering input, and a weight would provide that as good as your hand.
I would never trust it to drive for me, regardless of if it’s Tesla or another brand.
It means drunk drivers don’t get a car that can drive them to the liquor store
Wonder what the scientist thought the use of hands was needed for in a car if not driving? Opens up another possibility for the internet.
wy69
See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. It’s discrimination. Plain and simple. You’re better off with a Tesla doing the thinking than an inebriated drunk.
Is this the Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow? I drive a disabled friend to appts. in his modified Honda Odyssey and I was looking that feature up. They pretty much said not to use it in high traffic and that driver should monitor at all times.
Harrison Ford might be a T-800!!!
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