4 ms·

I want to know how it handles rain.

r0fl 13y ago
I think a self driving car will do a much better job operating in the rain than a human being. Rain makes it difficult to see and wipers are sometimes worn out and make visibility even worse. Slick driving conditions are also dangerous for human drivers but these days there are electronic stability systems in place to make it less dangerous to drive in the rain. If you have a car that can turn all traction controls off you can easily see the difference of assisted and non assisted driving in the rain. I think the bigger problem will be heavy snow. What happens when you park your car at the mall and come back to find the sensors covered in 4 inches of snow? Very curious to see how they deal with that issue.
- chrismealy 13y ago
  Not yet. That's why Google's been testing in Nevada.
  - SatoshiPacioli 13y ago
    Wait, did you actually want to know how it handles rain, or were you asking a rhetorical question implying that it can not handle rain? If the latter, it would've been friendlier to say "it doesn't handle rain well, here's why: [...]"
    - ryanmcbride 13y ago
      I think he probably started searching for answers after he posed his original question, and found some. Not that he was asking a question he knew the answer to.
- greiskul 13y ago
  > What happens when you park your car at the mall and come back to find the sensors covered in 4 inches of snow? Very curious to see how they deal with that issue. You turn off the self driving and manually drive home? The car doesn't have to be perfect to have value. It's perfectly ok if the first version doesn't handle rain, or snow, or fog.
josho 13y ago
Since the article didn't touch on environmental factors I suspect "it doesn't" is the answer to handling rain/snow. However, since one of the cameras is a laser that builds a 3d model of the world, I suspect that once the algorithms are developed it will have the potential to surpass human performance when visibility is poor (heavy rain/fog).
- agildehaus 13y ago
  The LIDAR sensors should be able to handle most rain conditions, but it breaks down when you get into heavy rain. I'm not precisely sure where the line is drawn. Snow however is a different problem. I think even light snow is impossible for LIDAR to penetrate. Not to mention the issues that arise when tires slip on ice, snow is covering signage, etc, etc.
  - sigmar 13y ago
    Do you have any sources for any of this information? Because they seem entirely made up and the "issues when tires slip on ice" have been mitigated with computerized ABS systems for the past 20 years
    - Qworg 13y ago
      I've done a lot of work with perception systems and sensors. GP is right on the money with the problems. Rain is even difficult. Snow is the worst though - it is both wet and super reflective. Super reflective dazzles your laser/obscures cameras. Wet screws up your radar.
    - chiph 13y ago
      Funny thing about ABS systems is that the pump actually forces the brake pads open. The designer's thinking is that a turning wheel is able to steer, while a vehicle with sliding wheels is directed pretty much by momentum alone. This results in longer stopping distances. So far as ice -- it's coefficient of friction in the real world is not a constant -- it varies based on local conditions. So you can't predict your ability to stop & steer on it - you can only react. Your best defense is to install ice-rated tires in early winter to increase your traction. Google will likely have to do some testing in Wisconsin to see how the software reacts to icy conditions, and is able to somehow automatically recognize ice/slush and adjust stopping/acceleration rates appropriately.

r0fl 13y ago

I think a self driving car will do a much better job operating in the rain than a human being. Rain makes it difficult to see and wipers are sometimes worn out and make visibility even worse. Slick driving conditions are also dangerous for human drivers but these days there are electronic stability systems in place to make it less dangerous to drive in the rain. If you have a car that can turn all traction controls off you can easily see the difference of assisted and non assisted driving in the rain. I think the bigger problem will be heavy snow. What happens when you park your car at the mall and come back to find the sensors covered in 4 inches of snow? Very curious to see how they deal with that issue.

chrismealy 13y ago
Not yet. That's why Google's been testing in Nevada.
- SatoshiPacioli 13y ago
  Wait, did you actually want to know how it handles rain, or were you asking a rhetorical question implying that it can not handle rain? If the latter, it would've been friendlier to say "it doesn't handle rain well, here's why: [...]"
  - ryanmcbride 13y ago
    I think he probably started searching for answers after he posed his original question, and found some. Not that he was asking a question he knew the answer to.
greiskul 13y ago
> What happens when you park your car at the mall and come back to find the sensors covered in 4 inches of snow? Very curious to see how they deal with that issue. You turn off the self driving and manually drive home? The car doesn't have to be perfect to have value. It's perfectly ok if the first version doesn't handle rain, or snow, or fog.

josho 13y ago

Since the article didn't touch on environmental factors I suspect "it doesn't" is the answer to handling rain/snow. However, since one of the cameras is a laser that builds a 3d model of the world, I suspect that once the algorithms are developed it will have the potential to surpass human performance when visibility is poor (heavy rain/fog).

agildehaus 13y ago
The LIDAR sensors should be able to handle most rain conditions, but it breaks down when you get into heavy rain. I'm not precisely sure where the line is drawn. Snow however is a different problem. I think even light snow is impossible for LIDAR to penetrate. Not to mention the issues that arise when tires slip on ice, snow is covering signage, etc, etc.
- sigmar 13y ago
  Do you have any sources for any of this information? Because they seem entirely made up and the "issues when tires slip on ice" have been mitigated with computerized ABS systems for the past 20 years
  - Qworg 13y ago
    I've done a lot of work with perception systems and sensors. GP is right on the money with the problems. Rain is even difficult. Snow is the worst though - it is both wet and super reflective. Super reflective dazzles your laser/obscures cameras. Wet screws up your radar.
  - chiph 13y ago
    Funny thing about ABS systems is that the pump actually forces the brake pads open. The designer's thinking is that a turning wheel is able to steer, while a vehicle with sliding wheels is directed pretty much by momentum alone. This results in longer stopping distances. So far as ice -- it's coefficient of friction in the real world is not a constant -- it varies based on local conditions. So you can't predict your ability to stop & steer on it - you can only react. Your best defense is to install ice-rated tires in early winter to increase your traction. Google will likely have to do some testing in Wisconsin to see how the software reacts to icy conditions, and is able to somehow automatically recognize ice/slush and adjust stopping/acceleration rates appropriately.