Dangly weight tied to steering wheel to fool autopilot that you're paying attention?

[GregTexas]

No annoying nags on the firmware released today. I think the nags you're seeing in videos are from beta testers that are getting a jump on others with a video. They are going to be pleasingly surprised when they update.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

You know what they say about making something foolproof...

 

[efusco]

If you look at the video I made earlier today, you'll see I wasn't nagged for a ~25 minute interstate stretch (~30 miles). On the return trip I was nagged once, touched the wheel for 3 seconds, and all was well.

And this is a public release, not a press vehicle.

Edit: Oh, and the weight is a suicidal idea.

One could argue that not being nagged is just as suicidal...the suggestion was only to determine if it would work as a means of avoiding the Nag, not to allow bypassing all safety mechanisms.
Anyway, it is interesting that the nag is not present despite what Elon said at the presser.

 

[AWDtsla]

NOTE: This isn't a suggestion to do anything dangerous....

Can you tie a small weight to the 3 o'clock position of the steering wheel so the autopilot thinks your hands are on the wheel?

This could be good for truly boring stretches of road where you don't want your hands to be lightly touching the wheel for 3 hours straight. Hands in the lap (palms up) ready to take over, but not hovering.

Do you like death? Because that's how you get death.

- - - Updated - - -

One could argue that not being nagged is just as suicidal...the suggestion was only to determine if it would work as a means of avoiding the Nag, not to allow bypassing all safety mechanisms.
Anyway, it is interesting that the nag is not present despite what Elon said at the presser.

There isn't a nag, there's "you need to take control now because I don't know what to do"

 

[breser]

There isn't a nag, there's "you need to take control now because I don't know what to do"

I think that's an exaggeration. Usually when the "Please hold the steering wheel" message pops up that people are calling a nag, slightly touching the wheel and then the car is done bothering me. It still steers well. Often even if you don't touch the steering wheel it goes away on its own. So I'd categorize it as "you may need to take control soon because I don't have high confidence in the quality of my decisions." I know that's a somewhat nuanced difference.

There is another message that tells you to take control of the car now and it beeps at you. Your characterization would fit that message in my opinion. But I don't think that's what people are calling a nag.

 

[robertvg]

For anybody suggesting that stupid idea of putting a weight on the steering wheel to fool the system; please let me know what city you live so I can avoid ever accidentally meeting your car on the road. It's not a suicidal idea, it's an idea to kill somebody else.

 

[lolachampcar]

Do they have the jack ass movies in the Netherlands? I ask because we here in the US are capable of far dumber things then a weight on a wheel

 

[cottylowry]

That's the funniest thing I've read in a very long time.

 

[SFPD]

You'd probably have similar results tying a weight to the accelerator pedal.

 

[Vitold]

I recommend hanging a cow bell. It will not only disable the annoying safety feature but also alert you when driving over a thing or creature with gentle sound of a bell.

 

[chriSharek]

This is just a funny thread altogether . . . thanks for the laugh.

 

[AWDtsla]

I think that's an exaggeration. Usually when the "Please hold the steering wheel" message pops up that people are calling a nag, slightly touching the wheel and then the car is done bothering me. It still steers well. Often even if you don't touch the steering wheel it goes away on its own. So I'd categorize it as "you may need to take control soon because I don't have high confidence in the quality of my decisions." I know that's a somewhat nuanced difference.

There is another message that tells you to take control of the car now and it beeps at you. Your characterization would fit that message in my opinion. But I don't think that's what people are calling a nag.

Think of the car like a child. Unfortunately there's going to be enough people that just don't "get it" and we get threads like this.

 

[Max*]

Think of the car like a child.

I already do!

 

[efusco]

Ok, this whole drama about tying a weight on being suicidal is starting to piss me off with the patronizing attitude. NOBODY has suggested doing this as some means to complete stop paying attention to the road or employing every other safety measure that everyone else using AP already is using.

The suggestion was made by myself in another thread and by the OP in this thread based upon the initial indications that Elon said the driver would be required to keep at least a finger on the wheel at all times when driving. As it turns out, that requirement was apparently waved and nobody has needed to do that other than when the AP is uncertain about what to do. The 'weight on the steering wheel" would be a "virtual finger" while the drive does EXACTLY the same thing everyone is doing who's driving around with AP without touching the wheel in each and every video demonstrating AP that we've seen. There is absolutely no difference between these two things. Tying a small weight or otherwise 'fooling' the car into thinking there is a light touch on the steering wheel is completely different than the amount of torque sensed when the driver has 'taken control' of the car and AP is disabled.

So let's end the hyperbole of suicidality and danger. It appears that no such trickery will even need to be considered given that the need to touch the wheel at all times isn't even going to be activated at this point...so the discussion is totally mute. It was simply an exercise to create that situation where when you're driving for hours on endless freeway that you could rest your hands in your lap rather than have to be touching the wheel..just like you can do now.

 

[AWDtsla]

Ok, this whole drama about tying a weight on being suicidal is starting to piss me off with the patronizing attitude. NOBODY has suggested doing this as some means to complete stop paying attention to the road or employing every other safety measure that everyone else using AP already is using.

The suggestion was made by myself in another thread and by the OP in this thread based upon the initial indications that Elon said the driver would be required to keep at least a finger on the wheel at all times when driving. As it turns out, that requirement was apparently waved and nobody has needed to do that other than when the AP is uncertain about what to do. The 'weight on the steering wheel" would be a "virtual finger" while the drive does EXACTLY the same thing everyone is doing who's driving around with AP without touching the wheel in each and every video demonstrating AP that we've seen. There is absolutely no difference between these two things. Tying a small weight or otherwise 'fooling' the car into thinking there is a light touch on the steering wheel is completely different than the amount of torque sensed when the driver has 'taken control' of the car and AP is disabled.

So let's end the hyperbole of suicidality and danger. It appears that no such trickery will even need to be considered given that the need to touch the wheel at all times isn't even going to be activated at this point...so the discussion is totally mute. It was simply an exercise to create that situation where when you're driving for hours on endless freeway that you could rest your hands in your lap rather than have to be touching the wheel..just like you can do now.

You fail to understand how it works.

 

[Max*]

You fail to understand how it works.

I loled.

 

[fiksegts]

I had the car nag me today.... road and markings were super clear and the car was driving fine... asked me to hold the wheel, I didn't, then asked again, I didn't, then it turned down the radio and beeped a few times and I gave in...

 

[skilly]

Been reading a lot of the feedback and it seems like *most* of the nagging is coming from pilot error rather than system error. Its being tested on 2 lane roads, city streets, and in general in use exactly how they tell you not to use it - especially that video where "the car tried to kill me" is referenced with an uneven, elevation changing, two lane, winding road (SMH).

I suppose that I can hammer a nail with the backend of a screwdriver; however, its better used for its intended purpose. And I probably shouldn't complain about what a terrible hammer it is. This thread is highly entertaining but outside of that, it has diminishing values.

 

[efusco]

You fail to understand how it works.

Oh? Do, please, enlighten me as to the errors in my comprehension.

 

[skilly]

Oh? Do, please, enlighten me as to the errors in my comprehension.

If they are being serious (which the general contents of the thread suggest they may not be), the basic point would be nagging would be minimal if at all provided you are using the function as its prescribed and intended. This also means that the nagging has a purpose - meaning the car isn't reading the road with certainty and therefore its asking you to validate or take over. The weight assumes its a nanny feature, but with a collection of all of the feedback in this forum so far, it clearly isn't - thats probably where the references to insanity are coming from...