Why would snow cause serious problems for self-driving cars? The answer is actually pretty obvious once you think about it. You might think the challenge is traction control, but there’s a more basic challenge.
Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous or Google cars, or several other names, rely on visual sensors and clues to navigate a road. But snow covers up many of the clues, such as lane markers, and can obscure other markers such as signs. Google has mentioned in passing that snow may be an issue.
Two other challenges: when the car encounters a change in a road that is not yet reflected in its onboard “map,” and when the car drives through construction or accident zones or other situations in which a human is directing traffic with hand signals.
Learn more from this short article, “Here Are Some Of The Problems Google Is Having With Its Self-Driving Cars,” Business Insider
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Larry Ehl is the founder and publisher of Transportation Issues Daily. In the public sector, Larry was Federal Relations Manager for Washington State DOT; Chief of Staff to US Senator Slade Gorton; and was twice elected to the Edmonds School Board.
Tags: google, Self Driving Automobiles, Transportation Issues Daily
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