When Tesla released Sentry Mode via a free over-the-air (OTA) software update in early 2019, it came with red flashing icon on the screen to show the surveillance feature had been activated.
That icon was the artificial intelligence character HAL 9000 from Arthur C. Clarke’s Space Odyssey series. HAL is a sentient computer that controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with the ship’s astronaut crew.
Now a little over a year later, MGM, who licenses the content from the series, has decided Tesla can no longer use the icon, and must replace it in an upcoming software update.
Tesla hacker @greentheonly has discovered the new Sentry Mode icon that will be coming out in the 2020.12.5 software update.
The new icon maintains the “red eye” aspect of the original, and pulsates to signify the computer is always watching. The design also looks like a real eye, with lines to make it look like a real iris.
The new icon also bears a striking resemblance to the turrets from the video game series Portal. Hopefully Tesla doesn’t run into a similar licensing issue with this new icon as well.
What do you think of the new Sentry Mode icon? Let us know in the comments below.
