Technologists, officials boost autonomous vehicles
Progress is proceeding in rolling out autonomous vehicles, although the technology faces regulatory and technical roadblocks. From a technical standpoint, autonomous vehicles still need human intervention. From September 2014 through November 2015, Google self-driving cars operated for 424,331 miles on California public roads, according to a report filed by Google, with the autonomous functionality disengaging 272 times. Drivers initiated 69 disengagements of the self-driving functionality, and Google indicates 13 events would have led to unsafe contact with another object. Reasons for disengagements included weather conditions and other vehicles being operated recklessly.
It’s one thing to autonomously drive around Silicon Valley, but it’s quite another to operate in winter conditions. Consequently, Ford is conducting what it calls the industry’s first autonomous vehicle tests in snow-covered environments. Jim McBride, Ford technical leader for autonomous vehicles, said, “It’s one thing for a car to drive itself in perfect weather. It’s quite another to do so when the car’s sensors can’t see the road because it’s covered in snow. Weather isn’t perfect, and that’s why we’re testing autonomous vehicles in wintry conditions—for the roughly 70% of U.S. residents who live in snowy regions.” Ford’s tests are taking place in Michigan, including at Mcity, a 32-acre simulated urban and suburban environment at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Ford points out that GPS is accurate only to several yards. So the vehicles employ LiDAR, which can identify lane location down to the centimeter. Unfortunately, on snow-covered roads, LiDAR and other sensors such as cameras—whose lenses might be covered with snow—can’t see the road.
The approach taken by Ford and University of Michigan technologists equips autonomous vehicles with high-resolution 3D maps providing complete information about the road and what’s above it, including road markings, signs, and landmarks. “The maps we created with Ford contain useful information about the 3D environment around the car, allowing the vehicle to localize even with a blanket of snow covering the ground,” said Ryan Eustice, associate professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering.
An autonomous vehicle creates the maps while driving the test environment in favorable weather, with technologies automatically annotating features like traffic signs, trees, and buildings. When the vehicle can’t see the ground, it detects above-ground landmarks to pinpoint itself on the map.
“The vehicle’s normal safety systems, like electronic stability control and traction control, which often are used on slippery winter roads, work in unison with the autonomous driving software,” said McBride.
Government has a role to play in autonomous vehicles, and to tha end, in January U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx unveiled a 10-year, nearly $4 billion proposal to accelerate the development and adoption of vehicle automation. “We are on the cusp of a new era in automotive technology with enormous potential to save lives, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and transform mobility for the American people,” said Foxx.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is using all of its available tools to accelerate the deployment of technologies that can eliminate 94% of fatal crashes involving human error,” said NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind. “We will work with state partners toward creating a consistent national policy on these innovations, provide options now and into the future for manufacturers seeking to deploy autonomous vehicles, and keep our safety mission paramount at every stage.”
Rick Nelson, Executive Editor.