{"id":20588,"date":"2016-11-18T17:56:13","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T22:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/how-to-train-your-driverless-car\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T18:36:29","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T23:36:29","slug":"how-to-train-your-driverless-car","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/how-to-train-your-driverless-car\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Train Your Driverless-car"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many technology enthusiasts self-driving cars are starting to feel like an inevitability that\u2019s just around the corner. Though Google was the first to seriously pursue autonomous vehicles, many others have started to heavily invest in the technology, including Uber, Ford, GM, Baidu (China\u2019s most popular search engine), and Tesla.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Of all these players, Tesla has taken a unique approach. Last year, Tesla released a software update that included \u2018autopilot\u2019, a form of computer assisted driving that will keep a car in its lane and adapt the speed based on the vehicle in front of it.[2]<\/a> Though the driver is technically still responsible, the sensation doing nothing while the wheel turns itself feels like we\u2019ve crossed a line into autonomous territory.<\/p>\n

And this is just the beginning. Tesla recently announced all its cars will now come equipped with hardware needed to be fully self-driving.[3]<\/a> But\u2026 the self-driving functionality will not be enabled, at least not for now.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Safety<\/strong><\/p>\n

How safe does a self-driving car need to be?<\/em><\/p>\n

In the US 30K people die in car crashes every year[4]<\/a>, and self-driving cars promise to reduce this rate. In fact, Elon Musk, Tesla\u2019s CEO, claims his technology is already \u201cat a safety level\u2026 at least twice that of a person, maybe better.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Musk actually goes further, stating \u201cit is already significantly safer than a person driving by themselves and it would therefore be morally reprehensible to delay release simply for fear of bad press or some mercantile calculation of legal liability.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

With that said, Autopilot is still labeled as \u2018beta\u2019 to communicate that this is a new technology. They plan to drop the beta label when cars are 10x safer than the average driver, indicating their bet that at that point the public will broadly accept the safety of this new technology.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Data<\/strong><\/p>\n

What exactly makes programming cars hard?<\/em><\/p>\n

While this is a complex problem that has required advancements in both software and hardware, there is one sticking point I\u2019d like to highlight \u2013 the cold start problem.<\/p>\n

Machine learning often presents a chicken and egg issue. The algorithms need training data, which usually comes from usage. This means they needs usage before they\u2019ve gotten good. This problem is particularly acute for self-driving cars, since no one wants to ride in a car that\u2019s not yet good at driving.<\/p>\n

So how does Musk plan to get around this problem?<\/p>\n

An idea he calls \u2018shadow mode\u2019[8]<\/a>, which involves having a person still drive the car, while an onboard computer simulates what it would do, then compares against the human-driver.<\/p>\n

This allows Tesla to kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, this data is the key to calibrating their self-driving algorithms. Secondly, Tesla can use this data to demonstrate their system is safer than a human driver, which they can use to convince regulators and the public that fully autonomous cars are ready for broad adoption.<\/p>\n

This is why they are equipping all their cars with the necessary hardware, even though customers will still have to drive. And as Tesla gets more confident in its software, it can wirelessly push updates and progressively enable more self-driving features.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Regulation<\/strong><\/p>\n

How will governments respond?<\/em><\/p>\n

With the rapid rate of improvement, governments are racing to figure out their role. Within the United States, each state government is responsible for vehicle and traffic laws, including regulations on self-driving cars.[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

Yet the Federal Government is not staying quiet, the Department of Transportation recently released a 15-point safety standard, which is not official regulation, but rather guidelines designed to \u201cavoid a patchwork of state laws.\u201d[11]<\/a> These guidelines were designed to be vague in certain areas in order to strike a balance between safety standardization, while not stifling innovation. Fortunately for tech enthusiasts, reception to the guidelines has been positive, with many industry experts commenting that the administration struck the right balance.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Autonomous<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the regulatory battle just starting, Tesla needs to set a good precedent so that it can leverage early success to win over other states.<\/p>\n

To do this, I recommend they launch their initial fully-autonomous software in California. As the world\u2019s largest tech hub, California is friendly to innovation, which will make it easier to gain both political and public support. Additionally, as the largest state, California is particularly influential within the US. Once self-driving cars have proven themselves in California, national perception will shift and other states will likely follow from increased public pressure and subdued safety concerns.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While challenges remain, given the progress we\u2019ve seen in the past few years don\u2019t be surprised if Silicon Valley enthusiasts are enjoying a quick nap on their way to work. The tech companies look to be delivering on their promise, and soon it\u2019ll be the governments\u2019 turn to figure out the regulation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Word Count: 795)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Jack Stewart, \u201cTesla\u2019s Self-Driving Car Plan Seems Insane, But It Just Might Work,\u201d Wired, October 24, 2016, [https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2016\/10\/teslas-self-driving-car-plan-seems-insane-just-might-work\/], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> The Tesla Motors Team, \u201cYour Autopilot has arrived,\u201d Tesla Company Blog<\/em>, October 14, 2015, [https:\/\/www.tesla.com\/blog\/your-autopilot-has-arrived], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> The Tesla Team, \u201cAll Tesla Cars Being Produced Now Have Full Self-Driving Hardware,\u201d Tesla Company Blog<\/em>, October 19, 2016, [https:\/\/www.tesla.com\/blog\/all-tesla-cars-being-produced-now-have-full-self-driving-hardware], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Jack Stewart, \u201cTesla\u2019s Self-Driving Car Plan Seems Insane, But It Just Might Work,\u201d Wired, October 24, 2016, [https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2016\/10\/teslas-self-driving-car-plan-seems-insane-just-might-work\/], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Elon Musk, \u201cMaster Plan, Part Deux,\u201d Tesla Company Blog<\/em>, July 20, 2016 [https:\/\/www.tesla.com\/blog\/master-plan-part-deux], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Boao Forum, March 29 2015 \u201cBaidu CEO Robin Li interviews Bill Gates and Elon Musk,\u201d YouTube, published March 31, 2015, [https:\/\/youtu.be\/NG0ZjUfOBUs], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> The Tesla Team, \u201cAll Tesla Cars Being Produced Now Have Full Self-Driving Hardware,\u201d Tesla Company Blog,<\/em> October 19, 2016, [https:\/\/www.tesla.com\/blog\/all-tesla-cars-being-produced-now-have-full-self-driving-hardware], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> National Conference of State Legislatures, \u201cAutonomous | Self-Driving Vehicles Legislation,\u201d November 11, 2016, [http:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/research\/transportation\/autonomous-vehicles-legislation.aspx], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Cecilia Kang, \u201cSelf-Driving Cars Gain Powerful Ally: The Government,\u201d NYTimes, September 19, 2016, [http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/09\/20\/technology\/self-driving-cars-guidelines.html], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Darrell Etherington, \u201cU.S. federal guidelines for self-driving cars say they will lead to safer roads,\u201d TechCrunch, September 19, 2016, [https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/09\/19\/u-s-federal-guidelines-for-self-driving-cars-say-they-will-lead-to-safer-roads\/], accessed November 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article exploring Tesla's unique approach to developing self-driving technology by gathering real-world driving data.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2381,"featured_media":20589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[1802,128],"class_list":["post-20588","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autonomous-vehicles","category-tesla"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/digitization-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\nHow to Train Your Driverless-car - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/how-to-train-your-driverless-car\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Train Your Driverless-car - 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