Surround / Bird's-eye View Camera?

[simpsonhomer]

I thought that sometime ago, RJ said that the R1T/R1S will have a surround (or bird's-eye) view monitor for parking and off-roading...but I can't find that reference anymore.

Has it been confirmed that the R1T/R1S will have this feature? I don't see it mentioned in any of the reviews I've read or watched. Perhaps it's something that'll be added later in a software update—but then that begs the question of whether they'll charge money for it.

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[Redline]

I've read it currently isn't included, but I'd assume that's something they can update.

 

[BrayBay]

Going off this review as my only source (already time-stamped), there is no top-down camera.

 

[bd5400]

In my opinion, the camera situation, at this time, is one of the biggest misses compared to other modern vehicles. Not only is there no top down/360/bird eye's view camera, the camera views that are provided have been frequently reported as being low quality.

While the hope is that the cameras are fine and that quality will be increased via an update (and adding a 360 view), that really depends on whether its actually software limited or whether these cameras are actually low quality.

 

[mike22co]

In my opinion, the camera situation, at this time, is one of the biggest misses compared to other modern vehicles. Not only is there no top down/360/bird eye's view camera, the camera views that are provided have been frequently reported as being low quality.

While the hope is that the cameras are fine and that quality will be increased via an update (and adding a 360 view), that really depends on whether its actually software limited or whether these cameras are actually low quality.

There have been enough comments in videos to think it could be an issue with the camera quality itself. Could be a supply chain issue for decent modules and maybe this is the first thing to be replaced in the field when new cameras are available. It's hard to imagine that a s/w fix could actually improve it, but not knowing anything at all about the system, I could only speculate. It would be disappointing to have a 2022 vehicle with low-quality cameras.

 

[simpsonhomer]

Yeah, the cameras' low resolution and choppy frame rate is concerning because decent video should be low-hanging fruit in this day and age—especially for vehicles aimed for tech-friendly clientele. It's concerning that Rivian's engineers can't even get a straight video dump to work well (doesn't inspire confidence for correcting distortion and stitching needed for bird's-eye/surround view).

Even the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt have bird's-eye/surround view cameras.

Do the R1T/R1S even have cameras in the right places (e.g., grill, side mirrors) for this feature? That's something that a software update won't fix.

 

[crashmtb]

Do the R1T/R1S even have cameras in the right places (e.g., grill, side mirrors) for this feature? That's something that a software update won't fix.

that’s the confusing thing. There’s like 6 or 8 camera views. Side mirrors. Front. All of em.

 

[simpsonhomer]

that’s the confusing thing. There’s like 6 or 8 camera views. Side mirrors. Front. All of em.

There are actually 10 external cameras according to their website: https://rivian.com/support/article/what-hardware-is-included-in-rivian-driver

I'm not sure where they're all mounted. Rivian claims a 360-degree view but that doesn't necessarily mean it covers the ground (Tesla also has a 360-degree view but isn't designed to cover the ground immediately around the vehicle).

 

[crashmtb]

There are actually 10 external cameras according to their website: https://rivian.com/support/article/what-hardware-is-included-in-rivian-driver

I'm not sure where they're all mounted. Rivian claims a 360-degree view but that doesn't necessarily mean it covers the ground (Tesla also has a 360-degree view but isn't designed to cover the ground immediately around the vehicle).

I also haven't seen or heard anything about the mirrors having blind spot monitoring (BSM) indicators on them which would be another big omission (Tesla is also missing this feature that's available on economy cars). Rivian just says that the driver is alerted if they're about to hit a car in another lane so the system is more reactive than proactive.

Yes, there are 10 cameras. but there are only 6 or 8 cameras you can actually use when driving.

front, rear, side mirrors, the cameras looking down the sides on the fender flares…
at least that’s what I saw when I drove one

the knowledge base article you linked explicitly says they use the corner and front radars for collision avoidance, lane keeping etc. probsbly includes blind spot monitoring, similar to how Tesla does - not with a telltale on the side mirror or a pillar.

 

[dleewla]

I'd imagine even with enough cameras, if they were not placed in the right locations and not have enough view angle and were not planned for 360 degree view, no s/w update can fix that.

With regards to video quality, assuming its not the quality of the camera, it can be improved with OTA updates. They may have lowered the resolution for pre-production and possibly even the employee delivered vehicles as they gather data and refine the entire system. Collecting all that video is a lot of data so maybe they want to make sure it works well before cranking it up. Giving them the benefit of the doubt here.

I think I read or heard in a video that they planned to make detailed mapping of trails and areas outside of major highways and streets. Think adventure areas where google maps and others haven't mapped yet or theres limited coverage. I'd imagine they would combine GPS data with vehicle data, including video, to help map those types of locations. For that you'd want higher quality video so you'd think the cameras would be good quality. Again being an optimist.

 

[simpsonhomer]

I found the "source" I mentioned originally:

Unfortunately, it's 2 years old and it's just what someone says they heard RJ say (that a 360-degree camera view will be included).

 

[jiehan]

Test drove a friend’s R1T yesterday. There is the ability to see front + 2 side cameras in the Front mode, and rear + 2 side cameras in the Rear mode.

Unfortunately, in the current software, there is no stitching and you cannot see all 4 sides in one view. Have to select front or back.

Also the side views are a little limited and it was a little hard to tell whether I’m parked perfectly parallel to the lines

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

The list of “misses” is growing longer. Rivian seems to have ignored many of the features that make a vehicle nice to live with in the everyday world.

 

[Attesan997]

The list of “misses” is growing longer. Rivian seems to have ignored many of the features that make a vehicle nice to live with in the everyday world.

I was looking forward to a 360 camera feature. I'm curios as to how the front/rear park sensors work and if there are any UI changes if the front or rear camera are selected while the sensors are triggered. It wouldn't replace a 360 camera but I'm curious if any of the cameras can be used to "help". I should probably ask over in iwantatesla's thread.

 

[Ladiver]

The list of “misses” is growing longer. Rivian seems to have ignored many of the features that make a vehicle nice to live with in the everyday world.

Don’t worry @CommodoreAmiga, according to this forum, the list will be fully corrected via OTA updates! And those hardware limitations will be resolved by mobile support.

I wish I had some of that juice others have been drinking. I think Rivian will just sell you the vehicle as-is. OTA will be to their interest, not ours. I suspect it will be focused on data mining, not performance enhancement. If someone wants high quality, polished experience, they should not be buying any first model year vehicle (not to mention a new company). They should wait 3 generations.

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