Tesla’s newest “Vision” software anticipates crashes and deploys airbags before impact, reducing the risk of injury.The new system can deploy the airbags up to 70 milliseconds earlier than traditional airbag deployment systems, according to Tesla.The technology will be added to existing vehicles as a software update, and it will be included in all new Teslas moving forward.
Tesla is implementing a new technology that should help minimize injuries during a crash. In a post on X, the automaker announced that its newest version of “Tesla Vision” uses the existing cameras placed around its cars to detect crashes before they happen, enabling them to enact safety measures in the fraction of a second before impact.
Traditionally, safety measures such as seatbelt pre-tensioners and airbags rely on physical sensors located around the car. The sensors, typically found in the bumpers or long crumple zones, relay that a crash is occurring, but by the time those sensors activate, occupants are typically already moving in their seats.
Conversely, Tesla’s new Vision-based system can recognize that a crash is going to occur in the moments before it actually does. Those milliseconds (up to 70, according to Tesla) can have a huge impact on occupant safety. The extra time allows Teslas to begin inflating the airbags and tightening the seatbelts, which the company says could be the difference between serious injury and walking away from a crash.
According to Tesla, the feature will automatically be equipped on all it snew cars. The tech will also be rolled out as part of a free software update to existing Teslas that use the company’s camera system, rather than its older radar-based technology suite.
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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.