Chinese Drivers Are Using Tiny Plastic Heads to Fool Tesla Autopilot Safeguards

4 hours ago

A $30 miniature replica of Dwayne Johnson's head can be placed in Teslas to trick the driver-monitoring system into detecting an attentive driver.
The fake heads, available on Chinese ecommerce platforms for $10-$40, block the in-cabin camera, allowing real drivers to divert their attention from the road.
Tesla's driver-assistance features in China require drivers to pay attention, using cameras to monitor for distractions, with autopilot disabling if non-compliance occurs.
Other methods to bypass safety controls include static pictures, lenticular prints simulating blinking, and pocket-sized screens playing looped videos of a person.
While these gadgets remain niche, they raise safety concerns, with critics comparing them to seatbelt avoidance clips, highlighting risks for convenience.
The emergence of these workarounds followed a Tesla software update in China that activated in-cabin camera monitoring for driver distraction.
Tesla has not responded to inquiries about awareness of these products or plans to take action against sellers, despite potential safety implications.

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