Tesla has utilized for a patent on an automatic sanitization system for its upcoming robotaxi self-driving electrical automobiles.
Self-driving isn’t solved but, however the brand new know-how additionally comes with different issues.
Tesla plans to launch an automatic ride-hailing service as soon as it solves self-driving, which is any day now when you imagine Elon Musk.
Nonetheless, as soon as you’re taking the driving force out of ride-hailing, you create different issues. Whereas driving is definitely the primary a part of their jobs, additionally they keep their automobiles and maintain them clear.
Tesla has now utilized for a brand new patent that might automate at the least a part of the sanitization of its self-driving automobiles.
The patent known as ‘Controlling environmental circumstances in enclosed areas’ (hat tip to @seti_park for recognizing the patent first).
Tesla describes the issue it’s fixing within the patent’s background:
Shared areas current benefits in value, effectivity, and environmental sustainability. For instance, an vehicle offering transportation all through the day for a number of individuals supplies decrease transportation prices and environmental footprint than an vehicle utilized by just one individual for private commute. Nonetheless, shared areas have an obstacle of facilitating oblique transmission of communicable ailments by contaminated air or surfaces. Present means for sanitizing shared areas, for instance manually wiping contact surfaces utilizing disinfectant wipes, might be time-consuming, laborious and result in unsatisfactory sanitation circumstances. Moreover, such manually applied actions might not be simply verifiable.
Within the patent, Tesla explains that it makes use of a wide range of sensors, which may embody a picture sensor, an acoustic sensor, a thermal sensor, a stress sensor, a capacitive sensor, a radio frequency sensor, or a gasoline sensor, to maintain monitor of the atmosphere contained in the car.
As for the precise sanitization routine, Tesla mentions the potential use of UV lights and a heating system to sanitize.
The patent means that Tesla might use issues contained in the car to sanitize mechanically, but it surely might additionally autonomously drive into an space outfitted to sanitize the car with robots. The car would go into some form of ‘sanitization mode’ that would embody transferring the seats if mandatory or opening the home windows to let a lightweight supply in.
Electrek’s Take
That is cool, however clearly, it solely is sensible in case you have solved self-driving, which Tesla has but to do.
That appears to be the laborious half. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take into consideration all the opposite issues to unravel after getting a fleet of self-driving robotaxi. It’s best to. However fixing self-driving appears to be the primary hurdle.
I’ve been impressed with Tesla’s FSD v12, however I’ve been unimpressed by the progress made since v12. The trail to a real driverless system remains to be unclear to me.
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