Oliver Haslam on May 28, 2021, 10:43 pm

Tesla Finally Announces Driver Monitoring Using The Cabin’s Camera

Tesla is finally going to release a new driver monitoring system that uses the car’s cabin-facing cameras to make sure that people are paying attention to the road when out and about.

The camera that is now being used has been present in all new Teslas for years now, but the company hasn’t made use of it.

In fact, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had previously said that it was there to stop people from damaging cars when they are being used on the company’s self-driving taxi network.

Now, the camera is being used for something that it should always have been used for – making sure that drivers are paying attention when Autopilot is engaged.

“The cabin camera above your rearview mirror can now detect and alert driver inattentiveness while Autopilot is engaged. Camera data does not leave the car itself, which means the system cannot save or transmit information unless data sharing is enabled.”

It’s hoped that Tesla will use the new camera support as a way to make its cars nag drivers less frequently when Autopilot is driving. If the car knows someone is paying attention it won’t need to have them place their hands on the steering wheel to confirm, it’s hoped.