Study: Flashing Lights Give Camera-Based ADAS Systems "Seizures"

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Last week, we reported that many advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) had trouble recognizing pedestrians wearing reflective clothing after dark. A new study shows that they may also have trouble with flashing lights from emergency vehicles, effectively having a “seizure,” according to the study’s authors.


Japanese tech company Fujitsu and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel conducted the study, which identified 16 instances of Tesla vehicles crashing into emergency vehicles while using the automaker’s Autopilot feature. Researchers tested ADAS cameras from several manufacturers and found that the systems displayed significantly lower object detection confidence when lights flashed nearby.


Calling the problems “digital epileptic seizures,” the study coined the phrase “EpileptiCar,” pointing out links between the systems’ behavior and epilepsy in humans. Like with the human eye, flashing lights change how cameras “see” objects, and the study found that cameras from all five major manufacturers suffered similar issues.

The study noted that more research and development is needed to push them closer to a human’s level of object recognition. Artificial intelligence can help but lacks the necessary reasoning skills to cope with complex situations.


These results cast doubt on autonomous vehicles that rely primarily on cameras to map the world around them, including Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature, which is based on camera input. Additionally, the study’s authors said that bad actors could take advantage of the cameras’ weaknesses, flashing lights to cause crashes.


[Images: Delbo Andrea, Scharfsinn via Shutterstock]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Jalop1991 Jalop1991 on Jan 29, 2025

    Insurance companies should involve the end user more in the user's choice of how to use automatic systems.


    In other words, coverage does not extend past the use of radar-type cruise control. If you turn on the automated system that "lets you read a book while it drives," that should not be covered by insurance.


    And cops should have the ability to stop such people, as they can do now with phone usage, to determine whether or not their behavior is covered by insurance.


    If your insurance company offers coverage that "lets you read a book while the car drives", great. But my guess is that would add another $1000/month to your premiums, if not more. Or outright refusal to cover sutch behaviors.


    It's not unlike living in CA or FL. Your financial situation is up to YOU. We have enough information to guess the likelihood of absolute catastrophe in those places vs in Ohio, for example. So no, no fire or hurricane insurance for you. Enjoy the beach view on your own dollar.


    If society provides the appropriate feedback, the driver's behavior will change.

    • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Jan 29, 2025

      Agreed. It's similar to the insurance for sports cars - you have to pay to play.

  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Jan 29, 2025

    Who brought this up as a potential problem many moons ago? Uncle TG, that's who.

  • RHD Like Ned Kelly, it's all metal but the shoes (tires) are not bulletproof.
  • Chris P Bacon "Most French-built models come with extremely small combustion engines."The General is having success selling small turbocharged 3 bangers here. I don't think it's that big an issue. I think Stellantis could use the small crossovers from Peugeot to turn the Chrysler brand into a Buick competitor.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Broken passenger window on my '89 Nissan Hardbody in '93 to steal my cassettes and loose change, while at work in the work parking lot on midnight shift. I left my '18 Nissan Sentra accidently left unlocked and my Garmin portable GPS was taken from dash and glovebox left open, nothing taken.
  • Mister couple years ago, my beater 2002 Silverado was stolen, then found abandoned by the police. I will forever believe the thief thought he hit the "easy button" for an LS swap, until he popped the hood and discovered the 4.3 V6, so he abandoned it.
  • Steve I had a loaded 2015 with the V6 a while back. I really liked that car. Really roomy and it had a great transmission. Way more fun to drive than I thought it would be. I should have kept it longer.
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