Even aboard a Tesla car on autopilot, the driver of the vehicle must remain alert at all times, the American Secretary of Transport had to insist on Monday, in front of the images of a driver behind the wheel… with a virtual reality headset.
“Reminder – ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times,” Pete Buttigieg reported on “The Guardian” reported.
On Sunday, a video shared on the social platform caused a lot of reaction as we can see a driver on the road, behind the wheel of a Tesla on autopilot, who is driving with the brand new virtual reality (VR) headset Apple Vision Pro in front of your eyes.
In the images, which had reached more than 25.2 million views in a few days, we can see him making gestures in the void, presumably to manipulate virtual elements.
But even if sensors on the VR headset make it possible to reproduce the outside world to build a three-dimensional augmented reality universe, users should never use it while driving a moving vehicle, Apple previously stressed.
At the same time, the Transport Secretary recalled that despite the names of Tesla’s assisted driving features – autopilot, enhanced autopilot and fully autonomous driving – the vehicles are not fully autonomous, according to “The Guardian”.
The automaker previously indicated that these features were intended for a fully attentive driver “who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at a moment’s notice,” according to the British newspaper.
In the last few days, other surreal images involving new VR headsets have set the internet ablaze as we can see individuals making gestures in the void in the subway, while walking and even crossing an intersection, in front of vehicles.
