Technology

This is why, as a software developer, I'm against designing any system that assumes what the user wants and tries to do it for them automatically. On the occasions where the assumption is right, it's a mild convenience at best. When it's wrong, it is always infuriating if not dangerous.

The engineer told him the frunk increases in pressure every single time it closes and detects resistance, Judkins said. It’s going to assume you want to close the frunk and maybe something like a bag is getting in the way, which would make it close harder.

What the fuck kind of idiots are leading things over there? "Something's in the way. Better crush it!" What a bunch of morons putting everyone in danger.

Why the hell would it close harder if there is something in the way? That's not the correct behavior for a lid, that's the correct behavior for powered shears.

We built it wrong as a joke

I wonder if the guy that designed autopilot had the same idea. "So when the car detects resistance up ahead in the form of a crowd or wall, it will accelerate to make sure it goes through!"

Or a chicken drumstick for somewhat similar bone strength.

He did demonstrate it that way, specifically with a carrot. And it somewhat worked. The problem is they programmed it to do more and more pressure every time it fails meaning that doing the carrot first actually caused a safety issue. He only moved onto his finger because the safety feature seemed to be working.

I figured that was a fucking typo at first

Let me guess: Front trunk? Please tell me I'm wrong.

He used a banana, an organic dildo, and a carrot. It snapped the carrot and then he decided to try with his arm, hand, and finger.

Of course it just keeps hitting harder when things are in the way.

Literally Tesla's response

He did the test wrong because he's experimenting with "safety" algorithms that the manufacturer has provided little-to-no documentation on and is having to come up with answers on his own. Maybe he wouldn't be "doing it wrong" if Tesla hadn't over-engineered every aspect of their piece of shit truck in the first place. This thing is a solution in search of a problem, and it'll chop your fingers off until it finds it.

If it increases in pressure every time, I’m now curious how many times you need to close the trunk to cut a finger off

He forgot to turn on Finger Safe Mode™️ before closing the trunk

Well apparently it's programmed to bypass the safety system after 3 attempts under the assumption that the user knows best.

This seems like a really dumb choice, but I can see why an engineer would want to point out that it's not incompetent engineering but an incompetent business department.

Its just like elevators, really. You put your hand in to stop the doors closing, they open again before touching your arm. Next time they close gently on your arm. Third time, the doors snap shut and the elevator ascends without further warning, resulting in traumatic amputation.

I saw my first cybertruck in person the other day. It looks incredibly dumb in promotional photos, but it's astonishing how much stupider it looks in traffic surrounded by normal vehicles.

The YouTuber started the video by closing the frunk on produce like a carrot, cucumber, and banana before the update was installed. The frunk chopped all of the produce when it was placed in the frunk.

...

The YouTuber then tried the same test with the update installed and was impressed with the improvement.

"With just a software update, the Tesla Cybertruck frunk is way safer," he said. "We witnessed it destroy a ton of vegetables, and then post-update did nothing."

He didn't do a finger until building confidence first. He also tried an arm and then his hand before finally trying his finger.

So not as crazy as the article made it out to be, and his finger wasn't seriously hurt either, but it hurt enough that he didn't want to try it again after getting info from the engineer about it getting stronger after each failed attempt.