
Is Elon Wrong About Lidar? - olivercameron
https://scale.com/blog/is-elon-wrong-about-lidar
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bradknowles
Human beings are able to drive reasonably well (for some definition of
“reasonably”), using only two visual sensors plus at least one audio sensor.

Elon seems to think that he can make a car that can do at least as well, with
the same input limitations.

He may or may not be right, but personally I think it’s stupid to limit our
devices to the same restrictions that we humans have.

If we can equip them to see outside of the human visual range of light
perception, then I think we should probably do that. If we can equip them with
more visual sensors, then I think we should probably do that. If we can equip
them with sensors that have no human equivalent, then maybe we should do that,
too.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just being stupid or something. I don’t get why he seems so
violently opposed to LIDAR — other than the fact that if he added it now, then
he would be proven to be a liar.

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aurizon
The truth is 'ALLDAR", a combination of LIDAR and CAMERAS with an AI that
selects the optimal solution as things change. Being tied to a single method
give you problems when you hit the flaws inherent in that method alone. Use
both or all three (if there is a number three??)

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m463
My take is that lidar is like ray tracing from decades ago. It was an
expensive impractical "holy grail".

But presently lidar sensors cost as much as a car.

If the new lidar startups ship lidar sensors inexpensively at scale, then the
economics will change and adding lidar to cameras and ultrasonics will help
the cars drive.

So right now it would save more lives to put more people in reasonably priced
cars with cameras.

I'm also reminded of the study where bicycle helmet laws kill more people than
they save (because the benefits of having more people exercise outweighs the
risks of unhelmeted riders)

