They conducted their tests on automated driving systems embedded in dash cams purchased online. They found that these systems’ ability to distinguish different objects on the road fluctuated in effectiveness in time with the flashes of emergency lights. The effect, which they dubbed a “digital epileptic seizure” or epilepticar for short, was especially apparent when it was dark out.
Can emergency vehicle lights confuse automated driving systems?
Answer: Potentially.
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A group of researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Japanese technology firm Fujitsu Limited have found that the flashing lights of emergency vehicles could potentially cause other cars using automated driving systems to crash. The team decided to pursue the research after learning that Teslas on Autopilot had collided with 16 different stationary emergency vehicles between 2018 and 2021.
They conducted their tests on automated driving systems embedded in dash cams purchased online. They found that these systems’ ability to distinguish different objects on the road fluctuated in effectiveness in time with the flashes of emergency lights. The effect, which they dubbed a “digital epileptic seizure” or epilepticar for short, was especially apparent when it was dark out.
Since the research was focused solely on image-based detection systems, the team doesn’t know whether other object-detection programs like lidar and radar could be affected. And they didn’t conduct their studies on any specific driving systems like Tesla’s Autopilot. Still, it’s probably safer to put your car in manual mode if you see an emergency vehicle parked up ahead.
They conducted their tests on automated driving systems embedded in dash cams purchased online. They found that these systems’ ability to distinguish different objects on the road fluctuated in effectiveness in time with the flashes of emergency lights. The effect, which they dubbed a “digital epileptic seizure” or epilepticar for short, was especially apparent when it was dark out.
