Contributions to research project & report

•  Author of the problem statement, proposed solution, benefits, evaluation & methodology
• Paraphrased the report
• Proposed innovative ideas to my group members
• Collated and filtered all the research articles and secondary research ie. the existing types exoskeleton
• Prompted Chatgpt for the flow of the contents

Summary/Reader Response Draft 3

 

Electric Vehicles

 

The electrifying technology behind Electric Vehicles (EVs), specifically Tesla models, have significantly driven the transition towards solutions for automated transportation (Armstrong, 2023). The Autopilot system, developed by Tesla, is considered by many to be the forefront of vehicle automation, as it leads the charge for the future of cars and transportation by merging cutting-edge hardware with advanced software. Essentially, Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that enhances safety and convenience when driving.

 

At its core, Autopilot employs 8 external cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and a powerful onboard computer to perceive and interpret the surrounding environment (Tesla, n.d). The key features of Autopilot include Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) that adjusts the cruising speed of the vehicle to match surrounding traffic, Autosteer to assist in steering on vehicular roads, and Navigate on Autopilot, which enables automated lane changes and highway interchanges. In addition to these driving-assist features, Autopilot also includes several advanced safety technologies, such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward and Side Collision Warning and Obstacle Aware Acceleration (Tesla, n.d). Although a driver must remain behind the wheel, Autopilot allows the vehicle to drive autonomously with minimal driver intervention, reducing the overall workload of a driver through partial vehicle automation (Tesla, n.d). Despite being a revolution in the car industry, Tesla's Autopilot is plagued by persisting limitations in certain essential areas, such as not being able to be fully autonomous, having navigation capabilities impacted by poor visibility and inaccurate and outdated map data.

 

Tesla Autopilot’s most consequential limitation is its unavoidable need for a driver to consciously operate the vehicle. As opposed to manual driving, Autopilot gives drivers the illusion that the vehicle is entirely self-driving, which inadvertently encourages distracted driving – leading to accidents and fatalities. Furthermore, Autopilot sometimes fails to recognise other vehicles and stationary objects, resulting in accidents as the vehicle is unable to stop when required. According to Boudette’s (2021) article which detailed a fatal Tesla Autopilot accident, a driver’s lapse in attention resulted in a fatal crash with the car in front. As such, it is paramount to have safeguards in place to ensure that drivers stay attentive, should they be required to reclaim manual control as situations arise (Casner et al., 2016). 

 

Poor visibility caused by weather conditions and dirty cameras will also affect Autopilot’s operational capabilities. As Autopilot employs 8 external cameras to perceive the surrounding environment, sub-par weather conditions like heavy rain or snow, that may result in cameras and sensors being covered or dirtied, would heavily limit the navigation capabilities or even render the navigation ability useless. According to Iqtidar Ali’s (2019) article on Tesla’s Smart Summon function during light snowfall, Autopilot was only able to navigate to its owner under snowy weather conditions at a speed of 1 mph because its Smart Summon detected the weather conditions to be unideal. In more severe conditions that fully cover the external cameras, the Smart Summon feature cannot be used and the vehicle would remain stationary.

 

Another limitation of Autopilot is that it is heavily dependent on updated data in its Global Positioning System (GPS) to navigate accurately and safely. Inaccurate and outdated map data will result in incidents where Autopilot drives through new stop lights and stop signs not reflected in its GPS. According to Jotti Mann (2023)​, a Tesla Model 3 in Full Self-Driving mode did not slow down before it hit water on the road and crashed into a pond. The road had a temporary "flooded" sign on the side of the road alerting drivers to the water ahead, which Autopilot failed to capture and account for, as it was not reflected in its GPS.

 

Though Autopilot has limitations which could cause fatalities if not addressed properly, one must consider that there is prospective use in reducing the workload of a driver because less focus is needed to control the vehicle with Autopilot’s automation features like TACC, Autosteer, and Navigate on Autopilot. An experiment done by Transportation Research Group in the University of Southampton showed that Autopilot could reduce the workload of a driver to overall low levels of between 10% to 43% (variable environment being relatively empty highways to busy city rings) (Heikoop, Winter, Arem, & Stanton, 2019).

             

In conclusion, Autopilot should be treated as an advanced driving aid rather than an autonomous driving system. The functionalities of Autopilot serve to enhance safe driving and assist drivers but should not instill an unwarranted sense of confidence. In short, even with Autopilot, drivers still need to remain alert to their surroundings and be prepared to take over the wheel at any time. That said, continuous advancements in technology, such as better map data and sensor reliability, will also mitigate its limitations and weaknesses. Ultimately, the objective is to leverage the benefits of automation while ensuring safety on the road.

 

 

References

Ali, I. (2019). Watch Tesla Model 3 performing Smart Summon during light snowfall. From https://www.xautoworld.com/tesla/model3-smart-summon-snowing/.

Armstrong, K. (2023). Tesla Pioneers the Future: How Autonomous Cars Will Transform Transportation. From https://www.notateslaapp.com/tesla-reference/1353/tesla-pioneers-the-future-how-electric-and-autonomous-cars-will-transform-car-ownership-and-transportation.

Boudette, N. E. (2021). ‘It Happened So Fast’: Inside a Fatal Tesla Autopilot Accident. From https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/business/tesla-autopilot-accident.html.

Heikoop, D. D., Winter, J. C., Arem, B. v., & Stanton, N. A. (2019). Acclimatizing to automation: Driver workload and stress during partially automated car following in real traffic. From https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S136984781830500X.

Mann, J. (2023). A Tesla owner said his Model 3 in Full Self-Driving mode didn't slow down before it hit water on the road and crashed into a pond. From https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/a-tesla-owner-said-his-model-3-in-full-self-driving-mode-didnt-slow-down-before-it-hit-water-on-the-road-and-crashed-into-a-pond/articleshow/103106256.cms.

Stephen M. Casner, E. L. (2016). The Challenges of Partially Automated Driving. Communications of the ACM.

Tesla. (n.d). Autopilot. From https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot.

 

 

Summary/Reader Response Draft 2

 

Electric Vehicles

 

The electrifying technology behind Electric Vehicles (EVs), specifically Tesla models, have significantly driven the transition towards solutions for automated transportation (Armstrong, 2023). The Autopilot system, developed by Tesla, is considered by many to be the forefront of vehicle automation, as it leads the charge for the future of cars and transportation by merging cutting-edge hardware with advanced software. Essentially, Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that enhances safety and convenience when driving.

 

At its core, Autopilot employs 8 external cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and a powerful onboard computer to perceive and interpret the surrounding environment (Tesla, n.d). The key features of Autopilot include Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) that adjusts the cruising speed of the vehicle to match surrounding traffic, Autosteer to assist in steering on vehicular roads, and Navigate on Autopilot, which enables automated lane changes and highway interchanges. In addition to these driving-assist features, Autopilot also includes several advanced safety technologies, such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward and Side Collision Warning and Obstacle Aware Acceleration (Tesla, n.d). Although a driver must remain behind the wheel, Autopilot allows the vehicle to drive autonomously with minimal driver intervention, reducing the overall workload of a driver through partial vehicle automation (Tesla, n.d). Despite being a revolution in the car industry, Tesla's Autopilot is plagued by persisting limitations in certain essential areas, such as the need to have a driver behind the wheel and having navigation capabilities impacted by poor visibility and inaccurate and outdated map data.

 

According to Boudette’s (2021) article which detailed a fatal Tesla Autopilot accident, a driver’s lapse in attention resulted in a fatal crash with the car in front. Such an incident highlights one of Autopilot's most consequential limitations: its unavoidable need for a driver to consciously operate the vehicle. As opposed to manual driving, Autopilot gives drivers the illusion that the vehicle is entirely self-driving, which inadvertently encourages distracted driving – leading to accidents and fatalities. Furthermore, autopilot sometimes fails to recognise other vehicles and stationary objects, resulting in accidents as the vehicle is unable to stop when required. As such, it is paramount to have safeguards in place to ensure that drivers stay attentive, should they be required to reclaim manual control as situations arise (Casner et al., 2016). 

 

Poor visibility caused by weather conditions and dirty cameras will also affect Autopilot’s operational capabilities. As Autopilot employs 8 external cameras to perceive the surrounding environment, sub-par weather conditions like heavy rain or snow, that may result in cameras and sensors being covered or dirtied, would heavily limit the navigation capabilities or even render the navigation ability useless. According to Iqtidar Ali’s (2019) article on Tesla’s Smart Summon function during light snowfall, Autopilot was only able to navigate to its owner under snowy weather conditions at a speed of 1 mph because its Smart Summon detected the weather conditions to be unideal. In more severe conditions that fully cover the external cameras, the Smart Summon feature cannot be used and the vehicle would remain stationary.

 

Another limitation of Autopilot is that it is heavily dependent on updated data in its Global Positioning System (GPS) to navigate accurately and safely. Inaccurate and outdated map data will result in incidents where Autopilot drives through new stop lights and stop signs not reflected in its GPS. According to Jotti Mann (2023)​, a Tesla Model 3 in Full Self-Driving mode did not slow down before it hit water on the road and crashed into a pond. The road had a temporary "flooded" sign on the side of the road alerting drivers to the water ahead, which Autopilot failed to capture and account for, as it was not reflected in its GPS.

 

Though Autopilot has limitations which could cause fatalities if not addressed properly, one must consider that there is prospective use in reducing the workload of a driver because less focus is needed to control the vehicle with Autopilot’s automation features like TACC, Autosteer, and Navigate on Autopilot. An experiment done by Transportation Research Group in the University of Southampton showed that Autopilot could reduce the workload of a driver to overall low levels of between 10% to 43% (variable environment being relatively empty highways to busy city rings).

             

In conclusion, Autopilot should be treated as an advanced driving aid rather than an autonomous driving system. The functionalities of Autopilot serve to enhance safe driving and assist drivers but should not instill an unwarranted sense of confidence. In short, even with Autopilot, drivers still need to remain alert to their surroundings and be prepared to take over the wheel at any time. That said, continuous advancements in technology, such as better map data and sensor reliability, will also mitigate its limitations and weaknesses. Ultimately, the objective is to leverage the benefits of automation while ensuring safety on the road.

 

 

References

Ali, I. (2019). Watch Tesla Model 3 performing Smart Summon during light snowfall. From https://www.xautoworld.com/tesla/model3-smart-summon-snowing/.

Armstrong, K. (2023). Tesla Pioneers the Future: How Autonomous Cars Will Transform Transportation. From https://www.notateslaapp.com/tesla-reference/1353/tesla-pioneers-the-future-how-electric-and-autonomous-cars-will-transform-car-ownership-and-transportation.

Boudette, N. E. (2021). ‘It Happened So Fast’: Inside a Fatal Tesla Autopilot Accident. From https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/business/tesla-autopilot-accident.html.

Heikoop, D. D., Winter, J. C., Arem, B. v., & Stanton, N. A. (2019). Acclimatizing to automation: Driver workload and stress during partially automated car following in real traffic. From https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S136984781830500X.

Mann, J. (2023). A Tesla owner said his Model 3 in Full Self-Driving mode didn't slow down before it hit water on the road and crashed into a pond. From https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/a-tesla-owner-said-his-model-3-in-full-self-driving-mode-didnt-slow-down-before-it-hit-water-on-the-road-and-crashed-into-a-pond/articleshow/103106256.cms.

Stephen M. Casner, E. L. (2016). The Challenges of Partially Automated Driving. Communications of the ACM.

Tesla. (n.d). Autopilot. From https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot.

 

 

Summary / Background Draft 1

 Electric Vehicles

The electrifying technology behind Electric Vehicles (EVs), specifically Tesla models, have driven the transition towards solutions for automated transportation (Armstrong, 2023). In the area of vehicle automation, the Autopilot system, developed by Tesla, leads the charge for the future of cars and transportation by merging cutting-edge hardware with advanced software. Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that enhances safety and convenience when driving. At its core, Autopilot employs 8 external cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and a powerful onboard computer to perceive and interpret the surrounding environment (Tesla, n.d).

Its key features include Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) that adjusts the cruising speed of the vehicle to match surrounding traffic, Autosteer to assist in steering on vehicular roads, and Navigate on Autopilot to enable automated lane changes and highway interchanges. In addition to these driving-assist features, Autopilot also includes several advanced safety technologies, such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward and Side Collision Warning and Obstacle Aware Acceleration (Tesla, n.d).

While a driver must remain behind the wheel, Autopilot allows the vehicle to drive autonomously with minimal driver intervention, reducing the overall workload of a driver through partial vehicle automation (Tesla, n.d).

References

Armstrong, K. (2023). Tesla Pioneers the Future: How Autonomous Cars Will Transform Transportation. Retrieved from https://www.notateslaapp.com/tesla-reference/1353/tesla-pioneers-the-future-how-electric-and-autonomous-cars-will-transform-car-ownership-and-transportation.

Tesla. (n.d). Autopilot. Retrieved from https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot.

Self Introduction

Dear Professor Brad,

My name is Lim Yong Kiat. I am a Year 1 Mechanical Engineering student in SIT attending your module Critical Thinking and Communicating.

Prior to enrolling here, I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma in Aerospace Technology and served as a Marine Engineer onboard a frigate class warship in the Singapore Navy. As I moved up the ranks, I started to review Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and pitch my projects to the higherups in the flotilla. It was then when I realised a small improvement can have a significant impact on the life of others.

One of my more notable projects was I raised a procurement to buy an extendable filter opening tool from Shopee as different ships have different ways of opening filters, some of which may be time consuming due to a lack of proper tools. After which I wrote a simple SOP to illustrate how to use the tool properly.

My passion for engineering can be traced back to when I was young. Since young I love to play computer games. My favourite game was Warcraft III, a game under the genre: Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA). When you look from another perspective, there is engineering involved in every aspect of it — calculating the damage done, which moves to make, how to make a comeback from a setback etc. A fun fact about me is I almost went pro in Esports however the reality of serving the nation pulled me back.

My strength in communicating is my ability to read between the lines. It is one of the most important skills I’ve picked up when I was working in the Navy. No bosses would sit down patiently and guide me through A to Z. However, from their instructions, I can infer what needed to be done and what followed.

My weakness, like most others, is public speaking. I was not exposed to an environment where I went up the stage to give a speech frequently. Therefore, when it comes to giving a speech to a mass crowd, I tend to start staggering. Even if I am fully prepared, everything went blank when I presented. Luckily, the exposure in the workforce shaped me bit by bit.

Looking ahead, my goal for this course would be to become a confident speaker. One that can deliver my message across effectively. This goal may be natural to others, but it is in fact a step out of my comfort zone.

In conclusion, this self-introduction merely scratches the surface of who I am. I believe that each experience, no matter how big or small, contributes to the tapestry of one’s character, and I am excited to see what future holds by attending your classes.

 

Best regards,

Yong Kiat

Interpretation of Quote

"Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective

leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a

sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across

clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even

matter."

Gilbert Amelio, former President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp

 

I agree to this statement. When a leader is clear of the way ahead, he can effectively lead and direct his employees. His employees will also have a sense of what to expect next. This will effectively save time as everyone will have a goal in mind. Without a clear goal, employees will not be self-motivated and spend more time waiting for instructions than exploring for new ideas.