A Car That Can See
Last December, a man got to try a special car for a whole month. The car was a Tesla. It has a smart system called “Full Self-Driving” or FSD. This system helps the car drive by itself, but a person must always sit in the driver’s seat to watch and be ready to help.
For most of the month, the FSD system worked very well. The man felt safe. He could pay more attention to the road. He even drove on a long trip to the mountains! The car knew when to turn and stop. It was like having a helpful robot co-pilot.
But the man found one big problem. The car uses cameras to see the road, just like we use our eyes. The main camera is inside the car, behind the windshield. Sometimes, this camera got foggy inside, like when your glasses get steamy. Other times, bright sunlight would shine right into the camera and make it hard for it to see.
When the camera couldn’t see well, the car got confused. A loud warning would flash on the screen telling the man to take over the wheel right away. He did, and everything was okay. But it showed that the camera system is not perfect. For a car to drive all by itself with no person inside, its “eyes” need to work perfectly all the time.
The car company, Tesla, knows this is a problem. They are working hard to fix it. They are making new camera covers that won’t get foggy as easily. They are even making tiny windshield wipers for the cameras! The man hopes they find a good fix so that self-driving cars can be safe for everyone on the road.
Comprehension Questions:
- What special system did the man try in his car last December?
A. A new radio
B. A Full Self-Driving (FSD) system
C. A bigger engine
D. A movie player - What must a person do when using the FSD system right now?
A. Go to sleep in the back seat.
B. Sit in the driver‘s seat and be ready to help.
C. Read a book.
D. Fix the camera. - What was the main problem with the car’s self-driving system?
A. The tires were flat.
B. The radio was too loud.
C. The camera that helps it see sometimes got foggy or had sun glare.
D. The car ran out of gas. - What did the car do when its camera couldn‘t see well?
A. It played music.
B. It flashed a warning and asked the man to take the wheel.
C. It drove faster.
D. It stopped forever. - What is Tesla doing to try to fix the camera problem?
A. Telling people not to drive in the sun.
B. Making new camera covers and tiny wipers for the cameras.
C. Taking all the cameras off the cars.
D. Making the cars only drive at night.
Vocabulary Words:
- System: A set of parts that work together, like the FSD system in a car.
- Camera: A device that takes pictures or videos to help the car “see.”
- Warning: A message or sound that tells you to be careful or that something is wrong.
- Foggy: When glass gets covered in tiny drops of water and is hard to see through.
- Sunlight: The bright light that comes from the sun.
Answers:
- B
- B
- C
- B
- B
