Lidar: the self-driving technology that could help Tesla avoid another tragedy

CEO Elon Musk has said the laser-sensing device used in Google's driverless cars is not necessary. But after the fatal collision, will he reconsider his position?

The autopilot mode of the Tesla Model S, involved in a fatal collision made public last week, draws on a number of sensors including cameras, ultrasound and radar. But one piece of technology Tesla chose not to build into its cars is Lidar, a laser-sensing system used by Google's driverless cars.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has, in the past, dismissed the need for Lidar, suggesting the technology "doesn't make sense" in the context of a car. "For full autonomy you'd really want to have a more comprehensive sensor suite and computer systems that are fail-proof. That said, I don't think you need Lidar. I think you can do this all with passive optical and then maybe one forward radar," he said during a press conference last October.