An interesting new development is taking place at Tesla (TSLA) in terms of the Semi-truck. The tech & AI-based automaker has started ground-truthing validation to enable autonomous features and Full Self-Driving (FSD) on the Tesla Semi.
Yesterday, a Tesla owner and enthusiast spotted a Tesla Semi in Sunnyvale, California. The odd-looking equipment installed on the cabin’s exterior grabbed Danny’s attention a little more.
Interestingly, the apparatus attached to the Tesla Semi is used for ground-truthing. Ground truthing is a machine learning process that validates real-world data for AI machine learning. This data is based on ground realities rather than assumptions or remote observations.
The research paper on the ACM Digital Library explains Ground Truthing as:
Ground truth is mainly used in supervised approaches of machine learning and describes the process of data labelling and the creation of a ground truth data set. But in generative and unsupervised methods the term can also be found. Although the term then takes a different shape, it always hints at the fundamental fact, that symbols inside a computer need to be grounded in the physical and empirical world. By tracing the term’s conceptual genealogy and by presenting different use cases.
This is not the first time a Tesla vehicle has been seen with this type of equipment. Tesla used similar equipment on Model Y Robotaxis last year before announcing a geofenced service in Austin, Texas.
Tesla Model Ys were once again spotted with the same data validation hardware on the city streets of Austin, TX, even after the launch of the Robotaxi Service.
The Tesla Semi-truck is designed for the future. It has a very different cabin design with the steering wheel in the center. As Tesla is progressing on the Full Self-Driving front, its future vehicles need to be capable of as many autonomous features as possible.
Yesterday’s sighting of the Tesla Semi with the autonomous driving validation equipment points to the possibility of FSD for the Semi. However, the timeline for this is not confirmed yet. Interestingly, Tesla is validating the new version of the Tesla Semi for FSD.
Related: Tesla Semi battery pack sizes revealed in a California regulatory filing
FSD (Supervised) on Tesla Semi
Tesla is mapping California using this data validation equipment installed on Tesla Semi-trucks, albeit FSD has driven hundreds of millions of miles on California roads.
The Tesla Semi is a large vehicle and serves a different purpose than Tesla’s passenger vehicle lineup. Tesla is remapping the highways and streets of California for the Semi to remodel the FSD AI for the large class-8 truck slightly. The more ground reality data is available, the better FSD will perform on the vehicle.
Vehicle size and geometry also affect autonomous features on a vehicle. This is why the Cybertruck started receiving FSD updates much later than the rest of the Tesla vehicle lineup.
To date, FSD doesn’t perform on the same level as a Model Y or Model 3 on a Cybertruck. Tesla Semi is another challenge for the Tesla AI team. Enabling Tesla FSD on the electric semi-truck is going to be another historic achievement by Tesla.
It looks like that Tesla is going to deploy geofenced FSD on the Tesla Semi. Port drayage operations are the perfect use case for Tesla Semi FSD, as it’s already performing at the California port.
In the foreseeable future, the use of geofenced FSD on Tesla Semi-trucks is going to be supervised and won’t instantly remove the need for a human driver. It’s going to assist humans in driving with better safety and increased automation.
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