Tesla Autopilot vs. Lidar Autonomous VehicleMarch 17, 2025 Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer and renowned science communicator, has made a very entertaining video that addresses one of the most debated topics in autonomous driving: Teslas reliance on cameras versus the industrys push for lidar. Rober designed six test: detecting a kid, rapid response, (i.e., a fake kid running out in front of the car), foggy conditions, rainy conditions, and the ultimate test of all a fake wall reminiscent of a classic Wile E. Coyote gag. The Lexus SUV equipped with Luminar lidar passed all six tests. Tesla only passed three. I wont spoil all the details, though.Elon Musk has long championed a vision of autonomous driving that mirrors human perception, advocating for a system that relies solely on cameras, akin to how we navigate the world. This philosophy led Tesla to eschew technologies like lidar and radar, focusing instead on a camera-based approach for their vehicles Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems. Musk has been quoted saying, Humans drive without shooting lasers out of their eyes. Why should autonomous cars be any different?However, Robers evaluations, while not being the most scientific, have highlighted potential shortcomings with Teslas Autopilot. Teslas Autopilot system is built around a suite of eight cameras strategically positioned to provide a 360-degree view of the vehicles surroundings. These cameras feed visual data into an onboard neural network, which processes the information to interpret the environment and make driving decisions. Teslas approach emphasizes a pure vision methodology, relying exclusively on video input without supplementary sensors like lidar or radar. This design choice is rooted in Musks belief that a camera-only system can achieve full autonomy by mimicking human visual perception.The majority of autonomous vehicle systems incorporate lidar as a core sensing technology. This video demonstrate a Lexus SUV with Luminar lidar. Lidar is an active sensing technology, emitting laser pulses and detecting their return to create precise, three-dimensional maps of the environment. Automotive lidar sensors are designed for both long-range and short-range detection capabilities, enhancing the vehicles ability to perceive obstacles and navigate complex scenarios. Commonly, lidar is combined with other sensors, providing a multi-faceted view of the surroundings, potentially offering a more robust solution for autonomous driving.The tests used in this video are a bit more playful and entertaining than a proper scientific comparison especially the Wile E. Coyote gag of driving through a fake wall but I think the results are worthy of consideration. The lidar-equipped vehicle decisively outperforms Teslas Autopilot, proving its reliability across a range of challenging scenarios. While some of Robers test conditions may seem unconventional, they highlight a crucial lesson in autonomous driving: real-world conditions are often unpredictable and fall outside the norm. The ability to navigate these edge cases effectively isnt just a bonusits a key factor that will determine the long-term adoption and success of self-driving technology.In the first half of the video, Rober provides a basic understand of lidar to those who are not familiar with the technology and showcases applications of lidar technology by scanning iconic attractions like Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. I found this section equally interesting, I so recommend watching the entire video perhaps at 2x speed in some sections ;-).