Tesla Robotaxi has a custom windscreen wiper action

Tesla’s much-anticipated Robotaxi service has finally started to hit the streets in Austin, Texas, and early glimpses reveal some interesting and thoughtful features. A unique windscreen wiper function shows the level of detail Tesla is considering for its autonomous vehicles, captured by one of the Early Access robotaxi riders Zack (@BLKMDL3).

This isn’t your average intermittent wipe, it’s a specific, targeted cleaning action designed to ensure the car’s “eyes” are always clear. The wipers perform a focused scrub of the small section of the windscreen directly in front of the forward-facing Full Self-Driving (FSD) camera.

This proactive cleaning measure is designed to remove any dust or debris that could obstruct the camera’s view, which is critical for the vehicle’s autonomous operation. It’s a subtle but important detail that highlights the shift in priority from human occupants to the car’s own sensory hardware.

The new wiper routine makes several passes over the camera’s line of sight, ensuring any accumulated grime is removed. This is different to a normal wash cycle that covers the entire windscreen for the driver’s benefit. In an autonomous vehicle, the camera’s view is paramount.

The downside may be that it appears to leave more of the excess water in the view of the passenger which for now is the safety rider, but that won’t always be the case. What this does demonstrates is that Tesla has the capacity rewrite the software that controls the windscreen wiper motor mechanism, something other OEMs that leverage 3rd party solutions are unlikely to be able to achieve, at least not easily.

This problem is also fairly unique to Tesla, given their use of a computer-vision approach to solving autonomy. This means a clean windshield goes from being a nice to have, to essential to maintaining the performance of FSD (unsupervised).

Jason Cartwrighthttps://techau.com.au/author/jason/

Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis.

Disclaimer: Tesla Shareholder from 20/01/2021