Waymo uses its vehicles to create real-time weather maps, which will allow it to improve the handling and systems of its vehicles.
Self-driving cars often struggle when the weather turns bad, but Waymo believes they can solve the problem by using their self-driving taxis as weather stations. The company said sensors in its latest generation vehicles are helping create real-time weather maps to improve taxi services in Phoenix and San Francisco. Vehicles measure drops on windows and windshields to gauge the intensity of conditions such as rain or fog.
Waymo uses its cars to create real-time weather maps
This technology gives Waymo a much more accurate view of conditions than existing stations, radars and other satellites. The company can track the spread of coastal fog inland. Although this is not as important in a relatively dry city like Phoenix, in San Francisco and many other cities, the weather can vary greatly from area to area.
As you might expect, collecting this kind of data has many practical benefits. Waymo uses this information to improve the capabilities of its Drive artificial intelligence to cope with harsh weather conditions, including in more realistic simulations. The company also believes it will be able to better understand the limitations of its vehicles and identify more important prerequisites for future autonomous driving systems. The technology also helps Waymo One serve passengers better at a specific location and time, and gives Waymo Via customers even more accurate delivery time estimates.
This will allow him to improve driving and the systems of his cars.
Current weather maps have their limitations. They can be useful in hot cities like San Francisco where condensation and puddles are often the biggest problem, but they won’t be very useful for navigating in snowy climates where it can be hard to see the lines. It also raises the question of whether it is ideal to have cars that themselves measure the conditions that prevent them from driving. This is not necessarily the safest approach.
However, it may be some time before Waymo’s self-driving service becomes more practical. Currently, companies like Waymo and Cruise are not allowed to operate in heavy rain or fog with their California license. Weather tracking could help these robot taxi companies provide customers with dry rides.