Reflection for TLM1010 Technical Communication

One of the goals that I have set for myself was to shake the bad habit of using the filler “erm”. Through the helpful feedback from my professor, I made a conscious effort to stop myself from using that filler, especially during class discussions and presentations. I am proud to say that I have definitely reduced the amount of fillers that I use and will continue to strive to improve.

From the Technical Communication module, I have learnt about the proper way to write emails, letters and reports. Moreover, this module has highlighted to me the importance of proper citation and referencing, which I was extremely weak in entering this course. Above all, the activity that most resonated with me is the oral presentation in front of the entire cohort of telematic students. The presentation has taught me valuable aspects such as how I should present myself and the proper design of the slides. These are useful skills that I will most definitely be using in my future endeavours.

As one of the presenters during the presentation showcase, it took me lots of courage to be able to face that amount of people and conduct a presentation. I tried my best to minimise the amount of fillers I used and to better hide the nervousness that comes with presenting to a large crowd. Regardless of the fear I had prior to the presentation, I am grateful for the opportunity to showcase my team’s idea and to have experienced it.

Not only did I learn many things as a presenter, I picked up on many points from watching my fellow course mates presenting. These points include how important body language is and how memorising a script can backfire. For my presentation, I chose to better understand my product and only remember key points instead of a fixed script, I realised that this served me much better and made my presentation much clearer.

In conclusion, I am thankful for the effort put in by my professor to have taught me numerous new skills from this module, and I look forward to applying them in the future.

Final Draft: Product Summary and Analysis

The article “Tesla’s Autopilot: Cheat sheet”(2018) introduces the features and functionality of Tesla’s self-driving platform called Autopilot which aims to convert electric automobiles into completely autonomous ones. Although Autopilot is unable to fully replace the need for human drivers, it is able to assist the driver with convenience and safety functionality(Health, N, 2018).

Vehicles with Tesla’s Autopilot make use of multiple sensors, cameras, radar, sonar, and GPS to create a precise map of the objects around it, even allowing it to read road signs. Tesla’s cars would be able to automatically adjust its speed and stay within its lane when moving on a highway, along with warnings for the driver if the vehicle gets too close to other objects and it is even able to stop itself if there is a risk of collision. This can not only lessen the toll that long-distance journeys can have on drivers but also make the drive much safer. Through the vast amount of special functions such as “Autopark”, “Auto Lane Change” and “Summon”, Tesla’s Autopilot is a unique product that can stand out from its competitor.

“Autopark” a function allows the car to park itself, either in a parallel or vertical lot(Teslarati Network, 2015). The car is even able to automatically detect if there is a space available for it to park itself. This can not only help inexperienced drivers but also seasoned drivers that have to squeeze into a tight parking space. Leveraging this functionality, Tesla’s Autopilot provides greater convenience and safety for the driver, possibly even avoiding the risk of scratching one’s car. This sets it apart from other autonomous solutions such as the “intelliSafe assist” from Volvo that does not provide this function(Volvo Cars, n.d.).

Another function of Tesla’s Autopilot is its “Auto Lane Change”. To use this function, the driver would have to enable it by giving the car permission to switch lanes without user intervention. The car would then check if it is safe before changing lanes. In contrast, according to Volvo’s website, its “IntelliSafe assist” does not come with such an innovative function.

A vital function that gives Tesla a competitive edge over its competitors would be “Summon”, which is part of Tesla’s Autopilot(Lambert, F, 2019). This feature allows the car to essentially drive itself to the user’s location, as long as the car is within the user’s view. This can be done through an app on the user’s phone, which brings convenience for users. In contrast, Volvo’s “IntelliSafe assist” does not provide the ability for the car to drive itself to the user’s location. It only has other functions that Tesla’s Autopilot also has, such as cruise control and collision warnings. As it is such a unique feature, Tesla’s Autopilot easily stands out from its competitors.

These unique functions offered by Tesla’s Autopilot greatly improves the autonomous functionality that a car can have, by allowing it to do tasks without the driver’s intervention, such as parking, changing lanes and even driving to the user. This broad range of functions not only provides the driver with a luxurious drive, but it can also help to minimize road accidents when parking or changing lanes. As technology advances, I believe that Tesla’s Autopilot will be able to make Tesla’s cars fully self-driving.

Health, N. (2018). Tesla’s autopilot: Cheat sheet. Retrieved 21 September 2019 from

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/teslas-autopilot-cheat-sheet/

Ji, H. H. (2018). How does enhanced autopilot actually work? Retrieved on 02 October 2019 from

https://teslabros.com/how-does-enhanced-autopilot-actually-work/

Lambert, F. (2019) First look at Tesla’s new enhanced summon: Self-driving in parking lots. Retrieved on 02 October 2019 from

https://electrek.co/2019/03/01/tesla-enhanced-summon-self-driving-parking-lots/

Teslarati Network. (2015). How does Tesla ‘autopilot’ parallel parking work. Retrieved on 02 October 2019 from

https://www.teslarati.com/how-does-tesla-autopark-parallel-parking-work/

Volvo Cars. (n.d.). Volvo Cars of Naples. Retrieved from on 02 October from https://www.volvocarsofnaples.com/blog/2017/february/24/what-is-volvo-intellisafe.htm.