Tesla Ghost Sightings Will Give You Chills or a Good Laugh
Halloween came at an odd time of year for Tesla fans. The electric vehicle giant is making its way toward producing self-driving cars in the future, and new Teslas are equipped with Autopilot technology that is both a cutting-edge advance and a tad ridiculous when it inevitably makes a mistake. Autopilot has already become notorious for causing accidents when Tesla owners rely a bit too much on developing technology that hasn’t quite reached its prime, and Tik Tok users have discovered another error that is a tad creepy and giving them a good laugh at the same time.
The Latest Tik Tok Challenge Centers on Tesla
Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms are notorious for unusual challenges. From the ice bucket challenge that raised money for a good cause to the infamous Tide Pod challenge that caused some users to question others’ sanity, all sorts of odd fads have peppered social media over the years. The very nature of Tik Tok, a newer social media platform that involves posting short videos and is mainly frequented by younger users, makes it the perfect host to all sorts of odd challenges.
The latest Tik Tok craze centers on the car of choice of many of its users. Gen Z and younger millennials tend to be more environmentally conscious and more likely to follow the latest tech trends than older generations, which makes them some of Tesla’s biggest fans. They’re also Tik Tok’s biggest fans, so it should come as no surprise that the electric cars have found themselves at the center of one of the creepier Tik Tok trends we’ve seen in a while.
Twitter user Ovidiu Maciuc made a startling discovery while out for a drive in January that has become the center of attention of fans of both the creepy and the comical. While driving through a graveyard with no one else around, Maciuc’s Tesla alerted him to…a person? A ghost? Well, not quite. Even so, this little issue with one of Tesla’s cutting-edge tech trends has created quite the Tik Tok sensation. Ever since Maciuc tweeted to Tesla CEO Elon Musk wondering what the heck was going on, Tik Tok users across the country have filmed themselves driving in cemeteries in an attempt to capture their own creepy images.
What Is Tesla’s Autopilot Feature?
Self-driving cars aren’t quite a reality yet, but the newest Teslas are inching closer to that possibility sometime in the future. Elon Musk has unrolled its Autopilot feature in its latest models, which kicks cruise control up a notch and provides the most basic level of software that the vehicles will need to support self-driving technology in the future.
In order to drive without the help of a human being, future Teslas will need incredibly advanced AI technology and sensors to create a high level of awareness of where they are geographically, where the road is, and any obstacles around them. They’ll need to be able to follow traffic signals, keep their distance from other cars, and instantly stop automatically if a person walks in front of them.
Tesla’s Autopilot technology incorporates an early version of this feature that provides a 250-meter range of camera sensor visibility around the vehicle that gives it limited ability to steer, accelerate, and brake on its own within a single lane. Although a person still needs to pay close attention to what the Tesla is doing, intervene if needed, and handle navigation, this early AI technology is a crucial stepping stone to fully autonomous vehicles in the future.
So, What’s Really Going On?
No, your Tesla is not a ghost hunter. As much as we hate to disappoint Tesla fans who may love the idea of a vehicle that is not only environmentally-friendly, but also a bit supernatural, there’s a logical explanation here. Although Teslas are learning to detect human beings and other obstacles in front of the car, they’re not completely accurate yet. What Ovidiu Maciuc’s Tesla thought was a person standing in front of it was likely just a glitch in Tesla’s constantly-updating software. Although this glitch is just one of many things that will need to be fine-tuned before self-driving Teslas hit the streets, it’s certainly provided its share of chills and laughs to the Tik Tok universe in the meantime.
