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Here in Finland we already have some autonomous public transportation buses running in my neighborhood. They're great! Can't wait for the day where they displac

Here in Finland we already have some autonomous public transportation buses running in my neighborhood. They're great! Can't wait for the day where they displace human drivers in all non-sporting arenas.

superkuh 3y ago
How do they handle when the road markings and road edges are obscured during winter? How do they handle emergent lanes when it's actively snowing? I've never heard of a successful test, let alone deployment, of autonomous driving in a place that has winter. I'm very curious.
- standardUser 3y ago
  Here is an article discussing the technology: https://www.laserfocusworld.com/test-measurement/test-measurement/article/16566993/robosense-lidar-to-equip-gacha-bus-fleet-for-ultracold-weather-and-winter-conditions https://www.laserfocusworld.com/test-measurement/test-measur... I'm not actually sure why everyone is so concerned about driving in winter conditions. What is the primary concern, other than sensors freezing? As a human driver, I find the biggest problem to be other human drivers who insist on driving fast even in winter weather. It seems like almost all of the complications could be avoided by slowing down.
  - superkuh 3y ago
    In winter sometimes the road markings aren't visible for weeks to months. In winter the lane positions are not absolute but emergent things that flocking humans create day to day by following each other. In winter the edges of ther oad are not straight, or absolute, but instead change from day to day and week to week. In winter, the road surface and road edges are made of the same material: snow. In winter it is slippery. And in winter sensors freeze and obscure, like you say. All of these are very hard problems that aren't quite addressed by a bus driving on cleared bare roads. It's good to see someone tried to work on them instead of just pretending all of earth is like SF. Too bad it seems to have failed.
- danans 3y ago
  Looks like it is this: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nargessbanks/2019/03/15/muji-gacha-electric-autonomous-bus/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/nargessbanks/2019/03/15/muji-ga... However it appears the local company that made the autonomous driving system went bankrupt: https://truckandbusbuilder.com/article/2023/07/18/sensible-4-files-for-bankruptcy-after-funding-bid-falters https://truckandbusbuilder.com/article/2023/07/18/sensible-4... It makes you wonder how autonomous driving systems get supported after their maker's bankruptcy.
  - hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago
    That's the one. I didn't realize Muji went bankrupt, I thought they were a huge outfit.
    - danans 3y ago
      It was Sensible 4 that went bankrupt, not Muji.
- hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago
  Pretty well, I guess. There's plenty of snow outside my apartment and I'm still seeing them pass by every day, about every 20 minutes or so.
  - superkuh 3y ago
    Do they drive when the roads have a layer of packed on snow obscuring the markings and edges? Or do they just drive when the roads are clear and marked?
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]

superkuh 3y ago

How do they handle when the road markings and road edges are obscured during winter? How do they handle emergent lanes when it's actively snowing? I've never heard of a successful test, let alone deployment, of autonomous driving in a place that has winter. I'm very curious.

standardUser 3y ago
Here is an article discussing the technology: https://www.laserfocusworld.com/test-measurement/test-measurement/article/16566993/robosense-lidar-to-equip-gacha-bus-fleet-for-ultracold-weather-and-winter-conditions https://www.laserfocusworld.com/test-measurement/test-measur... I'm not actually sure why everyone is so concerned about driving in winter conditions. What is the primary concern, other than sensors freezing? As a human driver, I find the biggest problem to be other human drivers who insist on driving fast even in winter weather. It seems like almost all of the complications could be avoided by slowing down.
- superkuh 3y ago
  In winter sometimes the road markings aren't visible for weeks to months. In winter the lane positions are not absolute but emergent things that flocking humans create day to day by following each other. In winter the edges of ther oad are not straight, or absolute, but instead change from day to day and week to week. In winter, the road surface and road edges are made of the same material: snow. In winter it is slippery. And in winter sensors freeze and obscure, like you say. All of these are very hard problems that aren't quite addressed by a bus driving on cleared bare roads. It's good to see someone tried to work on them instead of just pretending all of earth is like SF. Too bad it seems to have failed.
danans 3y ago
Looks like it is this: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nargessbanks/2019/03/15/muji-gacha-electric-autonomous-bus/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/nargessbanks/2019/03/15/muji-ga... However it appears the local company that made the autonomous driving system went bankrupt: https://truckandbusbuilder.com/article/2023/07/18/sensible-4-files-for-bankruptcy-after-funding-bid-falters https://truckandbusbuilder.com/article/2023/07/18/sensible-4... It makes you wonder how autonomous driving systems get supported after their maker's bankruptcy.
- hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago
  That's the one. I didn't realize Muji went bankrupt, I thought they were a huge outfit.
  - danans 3y ago
    It was Sensible 4 that went bankrupt, not Muji.
hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago
Pretty well, I guess. There's plenty of snow outside my apartment and I'm still seeing them pass by every day, about every 20 minutes or so.
- superkuh 3y ago
  Do they drive when the roads have a layer of packed on snow obscuring the markings and edges? Or do they just drive when the roads are clear and marked?
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]