Saw this in the news today. Autopilot in the Tesla shouldn't be effected by this specifically since it is using cameras instead of these Lidar sensors but still worth noting when thinking of all the things Tesla needs to be considering before releasing auto pilot to the world.
Self-driving cars can be fooled by fake cars, pedestrians and other bogus signals
Self-driving cars can be fooled by fake cars, pedestrians and other bogus signals
Google, Uber and even Apple’s potential self-driving car can all be foiled by little more than a homebrew laser pointer thanks to their Lidar sensor systems.
Jonathan Petit, principal scientist at software security company Security Innovation, has unearthed a gaping security vulnerability in Lidar sensors – essentially the eyes of any self-driving car. In a research paper due to be presented at the Black Hat Europe security conference in November, Petit outlines how a low-power laser and pulse generator can fool a car into believing that other cars and pedestrians are around it.
The vulnerability means that self-driving cars could be halted in the middle of the road when they believe another car or person has appeared in view suddenly.