Smart glasses
Tesla driver is caught behind the wheel wearing Apple’s Vision Pro cyber glasses – this is how the US Secretary of Transportation reacts
In the clip you can see a Tesla driver using Apple’s Vision Pro data glasses while driving
© Screenshot X
Apple’s Vision Pro has been officially in stores since the weekend. Now more and more users are testing the limits of data glasses. The US Secretary of Transportation is now personally warning of a usage scenario.
Many Apple fans were looking forward to this moment: Since Friday you can buy the Vision Pro data glasses in the USA – and thus take a look into Apple’s vision of the future (Here you can find out how the glasses feel). But some of the new owners also wear the data glasses where it could be dangerous – namely in traffic.
Several video clips show how users – gender is not necessary here, in fact only men can be seen in the clips – walking on the street with the glasses. Sometimes as a pedestrian, sometimes on an electric scooter. However, one clip takes it to the extreme. Filmed from a passing car, a man can be seen gesturing wildly with his hands in the air in front of his glasses. Even though his hands should actually be on the steering wheel of the Tesla Cybertruck he’s currently driving.
Warning from above
The reactions on social media are correspondingly astonishing. Even the US Secretary of Transportation spoke out: Pete Buttigieg posted an excerpt from the clip on the short message service X, formerly known as Twitter. “A reminder: All self-driving systems on the market require the full control and attention of a human driver at all times,” he warned, noting that the glasses should not be used in self-driving cars either.
In the case of the posted clip, however, the danger is even greater: As X users quickly noted, the Cybertruck does not yet have the ability to control itself – neither fully automatically nor in the so-called autopilot, which involves numerous people behind the wheel Maneuvers can decrease. The person in the clip is driving hands-free and without driving aids.
Now the Tesla driver in the video, Dante Lentini, also reported this to “Gizmodo”. It was a kind of sketch, he explained to the tech magazine. He himself published another view of the ride, filmed from inside the car. At the end of his short video he is even stopped by the police. But that too was only staged, says Lentini. In reality, he emphasized, he had been driving for less than a minute with his glasses on and the police had just happened by. “It happened in the right place at the right time.”
Of course, it could also just be a protective claim: In the clip, Lentini is driving on a busy street and also crossing a large intersection. The situation could have become quite dangerous.
No use in traffic intended
Manufacturer Apple has not yet commented on the specific case. But that’s actually not necessary: In its safety instructions for the Vision Pro, the company emphasizes that you should “never use the data glasses when controlling a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery or any other situation that requires attention for safety reasons requires.” You should also avoid using them near stairs, balconies, windows, glass or mirrors.
Apple’s usage vision apparently doesn’t include outdoor use anyway. In the company’s promotional material, all those wearing the glasses are indoors, most of them are even sitting.
The Vision Pro in the wild
It is already clear that the glasses will also be visible outside. Several test clips address the question of how the glasses are used and perceived in everyday situations, whether on the subway or on the sidewalk. A particularly absurd photo made the rounds over the weekend: It shows two young men dining together in a restaurant – and both wearing a Vision Pro. The reactions on social networks show that acceptance for this is not yet particularly high. However, smartphone use seemed strange shortly after the introduction of the iPhone almost 17 years ago.