Self-Driving Tesla Crashes into Wall Painted to Look Like a Road… Just Months Before Planned Robotaxi Launch - FuelArc News
fuelarc.com
Mark Rober just set up one of the most interesting self-driving tests of 2025, and he did it by imitating Looney Tunes. The former NASA engineer and current YouTube mad scientist recreated the classic gag where Wile E. Coyote paints a tunnel onto a wall to fool the Road Runner. Only this time, the test […]

Mark Rober just set up one of the most interesting self-driving tests of 2025, and he did it by imitating Looney Tunes. The former NASA engineer and current YouTube mad scientist recreated the classic gag where Wile E. Coyote paints a tunnel onto a wall to fool the Road Runner.

Only this time, the test subject wasn’t a cartoon bird… it was a self-driving Tesla Model Y.

The result? A full-speed, 40 MPH impact straight into the wall. Watch the video and tell us what you think!

  • cmhe@lemmy.worldEnglish
    267·
    10 months ago

    I am a bit disappointed to not see the Tesla crash into a real wall. I feel a bit click baited here.

    Also, they prepared the polystyrene wall to break this cartoonishly, but still played on being surprised.

    • tiramichu@lemm.eeEnglish
      54·
      10 months ago

      The purpose of the video is to test a hypothesis, not to total a car.

      Mark Rober is a youtuber sure, and some of the stuff he does is to feed the algorithm. But he’s also an engineer, and that involves experimentation and a good dose of science.

      Engineers won’t set up tests that intentionally destroy their expensive test equipment if they can conduct an equivalent test non-destructively.

    • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      10 months ago

      I’m a bit disappointed they painted identical to the actual road. Probably a lot of humans will get fooled by that one. We should send a challenge back: how looney toons can you get? Will something more cartoonish fool it? Will a different landscape fool it? How about drawing an oncoming train?

    • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.eeEnglish
      31·
      10 months ago

      Yeah, do YTers not have the money to kill one Tesla?
      That seemed like an expensive production, sadly one totaled car couldn’t make it.