SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1
Waymo is the name of the autonomous vehicle program being developed under Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
Waymo announced on Thursday that it is bringing its Chrysler Pacifica minivans to the Detroit area to test how the company's technology performs in the region's harsh winters.
"Our ultimate goal is for our fully self-driving cars to operate safely and smoothly in all kinds of environments," Waymo CEO John Krafcik writes.
Krafcik says that Waymo has been doing cold-weather tests since 2012. But so far Waymo has done most of its testing in sunny places like Mountain View, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and Austin, Texas. where snow is rare. Waymo believes it has largely mastered driving in sunny climates and is preparing to launch a commercial service in the sun-drenched Phoenix area.
[...] "This type of testing will give us the opportunity to assess the way our sensors perform in wet, cold conditions," Krafick writes. "And it will also build on the advanced driving skills we've developed over the last eight years by teaching our cars how to handle things like skidding on icy, unplowed roads."
Source: Waymo starts testing in Michigan to master snow and ice
(Score: 2) by jdccdevel on Monday October 30 2017, @09:15PM
What it would take for me to trust a AI to drive me around in the snow?
Autonomous vehicle rally & side by side auto-cross would be a good start.
I want to see autonomous vehicle racing. The cars would compete in two different kinds of races. Use the same chassis as the regular rally cars, just to keep things exciting, but all sensors would have to be the same as the production autonomous vehicles, and no vehicle to vehicle data communication. (To simulate a mixed environment with autonomous and regular vehicles.)
1) Autonomous Rally racing
- Mixed terrain. (gravel, mud, dirt, pavement, snow and ice)
- Racing against the clock, same as regular rally racing.
2) Side-By-Side Auto-cross
- 4 cars on the course at the same time
- Mixed terrain
- Penalties for inter-vehicle contact.
If the autonomous vehicle AI and Sensors can handle that sort of environment, and deal with the punishment and abuse of that sort of racing, I might be able to trust them with the safety of myself and my family.
Plus, it would be a good selling point for the manufacturer. (i.e. Our AI won the 2027 World Autonomous Rally championship! The most capable AI on the road today!)
Until then, I'll keep my hands on the wheel and my eyes on the road.