Elon Musk says Tesla cars will “soon” be able to talk to nearby pedestrians. In a tweet announcing this feature, the CEO shared a short clip of a Model 3 passing in front of him while its speaker plays a clip saying, “Don’t just stand there, get in. In his Tweet, Musk says, “Tesla will soon be talking to individuals if you want. It’s real.
Voice assistance to meet new safety regulations
So what’s going on and why is a Tesla telling strangers to come in? It is important to know that new safety regulations are coming into force that require electric vehicles to make artificial noise when travelling at certain speeds. These noises should alert nearby pedestrians when an electric vehicle is close by. Most electric vehicles make virtually no noise when travelling at low speeds compared to their combustion engine counterparts, which could lead to road accidents that could be suffered by unsafe pedestrians.
While Tesla may simply add beeps or other noises to his cars, it seems Musk intends to do much more than that, by letting the car talk to pedestrians with a pre-recorded message. For now, that message says, “Don’t just stand there and watch, get in,” as The Verge magazine points out, because Musk envisions one day having Tesla cars on the streets when their owners aren’t using them, allowing his state-of-the-art cars to be used as carpools and making money for their owners. Phrases such as “Don’t just stand there watching, get in” would alert neighboring drivers that Tesla is available for rental. In subsequent tweets, Musk indicates that these talking Tesla’s will also operate in “Sentry” mode, creating “some epic confusion for thieves.
More new features are on the way!
According to specialist Franck Peltier, Elon Musk has many more surprises in store for us. Indeed, Tesla has filed a new patent for a new steering wheel design with integrated touchpads, gesture controls and haptic feedback. Small touchpads on both sides of the steering wheel would enhance the user experience with gesture controls, Tesla notes in its patent application. By incorporating everyday gesture commands that have become ubiquitous in smartphones, such as slide and pinch, Tesla drivers will have a safer and more efficient way to navigate vehicle functions.
For example, if a driver wants to turn up the volume for music or a phone call, they could slide their finger up and down the steering wheel’s touchpads. Tactile feedback would be indicated by a “sliding vibration,” while visual feedback would be in the form of soft lights on the touchpads. There would also be audible feedback on driver-initiated actions.
