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Tesla FSD Autonomy Bolstered By 'Fleet Response Agents'
Tesla has evolved an unusual variant on the Waymo strategy of using remote operators to take over if their "self-driving" cars fail at driving themselves (see Has Musk Given Up On Full Self Driving (FSD)?).
But the tasks involved go far beyond sitting in a chair in California and steering a stuck robotaxi. These operators will also help develop the interface that connects humans to the cars, essentially designing how remote humans and onboard AI collaborate in real time.
Waymo uses what it calls a “fleet response agent,” a human assistant the vehicle can ping when it gets confused by a complex traffic scenario. These agents can view real-time exterior camera feeds, examine a 3D map of what the vehicle sees and even rewind the footage like a DVR to get better context. “As with the rest of our operations, a helpful human is no more than a touch of a button away,” Waymo said in a blog post.
(Via InsideEVs)
Early examples of teleoperation using robots includes the teleoperated robot surrogate from The Robot and the Lady (1938) by Manly Wade Wellman and the teleoperated lab robot from Cities in Flight (1957) by James Blish.
Charles Stross specifically describes the idea of a remote operator stepping in if an autonomous vehicle needs help in his 2007 novel Halting State:
Tesla appears to have built its own virtual reality rig for teleoperators to remotely monitor and intervene if needed.
The steering wheel twitches hesitantly, then as the doors click shut it spins hard over and the yuppiemobile accelerates fast. You try not to shudder. You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life - and half a dozen other lives - in his hands.
(Read more about driverless drones)
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/27/2025)
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