Autopilot to the rescue

[Kevinf]

So there was recently a story posted about a man that began suffering from a pulmonary embolism whilst driving on the freeway in Springfield, MO. Instead of pulling over and calling 911, he rerouted his Tesla Model X to a hospital 20 miles away using the "Auto-Pilot" feature (basically cruise control on steroids).

So I think that he should have pulled over and waited for an ambulance, since autopilot ain't doing crap for him if he arrests. But a more interesting question is, how many here would be willing to ride in an autonomously driven ambulance that allows both crew members in the rear?

 

[PotatoMedic]

You mean an autonomously driven ambulance with the only crew member in the rear.

 

[Flying]

Can the navigation be overridden to account for quirks in the service area? Then sure, it's worth a shot. I look forward to not getting bruises from EMTs that drive ambulances like they're rally cars.

...or try to drag race them at midnight, or drive while texting, eating, tired, etc., etc.

 

[Surf40]

I saw this article too on a different website...interesting, glad it worked out for him, but probably not the smartest decision for his health. What were to happen if he went unresponsive? The car would just pull up in front of the hospital or what?

 

[Kevinf]

Nope, it only navigates while on the freeway, so if he didn't put his hands on the wheel it would have pulled to the shoulder and stopped before the exit. Hopefully someone else would call 911 for him, but you never know if anyone else will actually stop and check.