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Waymo racks up 4 million self-driven miles
Waymo continues to press its lead in terms of actual miles driven on roads, which is potentially the most important metric out there when it comes to building successful autonomous driving technology. The Alphabet-owned company that began life as Google's self-driving car project around a decade ago now has 4 million miles driven autonomously on roads.
That 4 million miles represents the self-driving effort of Waymo's entire test fleet, covering its original autonomous vehicles all the way up to its current driverless Chrysler Pacifica minivans, which are actually now testing on Arizona public roads, right alongside everyday human drivers, with no safety driver behind the wheel at all.
In simulations, Waymo's bots have driven 2.5 billion "virtual miles".
Also at The Verge.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 01 2017, @07:28AM (2 children)
Why would they be "dueling it out"? And, it is much safer in these type of conditions because roads are actually dry. On the highways, when it's -20C, it's generally much safer than when it is -5 or something like that.
If you want chaos, you go to middle-america when they have a blizzard and roads get wet and frozen. And of course because people, they don't slow down. If there is one thing, it's autonomous vehicles are NOT in not "in the hurry". And the rush, rush attitude of human drivers accounts for large fraction of crashes.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday December 01 2017, @02:40PM
There is that problem. But another problem with autonomous vehicles is that they don't get road rage.
Imagine how bad life would be if all cars drove calmly while passengers could relax and engage in other more useful, productive or merely entertaining activities.
Idea: what we need is a new Road Rage reality tv show!
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday December 01 2017, @02:48PM
Yup to that ^ with double exclamation marks!! Made a trip from the Yakima valley, to Miami, in an 18-wheeler. It was ice from George, Washington, almost all the way to Memphis. The only places that were scary were Kansas City, and then getting close to Memphis. All the rest of that northern portion were - interesting - and serious - but not entirely nerve wracking. The two cities were most definitely nerve wracking. Finally got into Memphis, and the snow and ice ended, then it was just a tiring drive in the rain the rest of the way to Miami.
Give me serious COLD, any day, over temperatures hovering around freezing. It's much safer to drive on.