RoboTaxi might be unable to drive itself, but it'll spray itself down.
Sanitization will kill bacteria on reachable surfaces and doesn't even sound very helpful in the case of Elon Musk's hail mary for Tesla, the RoboTaxi. Perhaps they should just focus on the self-driving part because that is going to be a lot more helpful in getting this project off the ground for Tesla while the actual AI Taxi companies are already expanding their service areas.
Tesla has now applied for a new patent that would automate at least part of the sanitization of its self-driving vehicles.
The patent is called 'Controlling environmental conditions in enclosed spaces' (hat tip to @seti_park for spotting the patent first).
Tesla describes the problem it is solving in the patent's background:
ElectrekShared spaces present advantages in cost, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. For example, an automobile providing transportation throughout the day for multiple persons provides lower transportation costs and environmental footprint than an automobile used by only one person for personal commute. However, shared spaces have a disadvantage of facilitating indirect transmission of communicable diseases through contaminated air or surfaces. Current means for sanitizing shared spaces, for example manually wiping touch surfaces using disinfectant wipes, can be time-consuming, laborious and lead to unsatisfactory sanitation conditions. Additionally, such manually implemented activities may not be easily verifiable.
Previously:
• Here's what full self driving autopilot 'sees'
• Full Self-Incriminating: Musk won't be ticketed for live streaming while driving
• Surveillance video of a self-driving Tesla causing an 8-car pile-up on the SF Bay Bridge
• Tesla recalls 362k vehicles to remove 'Full Self Driving' feature
