The most vexing point when it comes to autonomous vehicle technology is how it’ll perform in the rain or the snow, which serve as one of the environmental scenarios that can stymie how a robot car performs. That’s why a new video from AV system startup Drive.ai stands out as exceptionally notable.
The nearly four-minute clip is one of the few instances that has captured an self-driving car moving about in inclement weather, without a driver intervening.
“Any successful self-driving technology will need to address countless unpredictable situations and a wide range of driving conditions, yet few are able to today,” Drive.ai, stating the obvious, wrote in a blog post to unveil the video.
Drive.ai said it uses “deep learning technology” to develop its AV system, which it says allows the technology to develop and learn like a human brain would. If a cool-sounding phrase doesn’t rock your boat, the video offers a solid view of a robot car in the rain.
Drive.ai noted some particular notable points in the video, particularly around the 1 minute mark, when a car pulls out in front of the self-driving car at packed four-way stop. Drive.ai also says at 1:50 the car approaches an intersection with a broken red light, but it’s hard to make out what it’s referencing. The all-around driving at night in the rain itself is impressive, too (though, to be sure, we’re talking about California roads.)
It’s only a flash in the pan, but this seems like a vast improvement from what we’ve seen in the past.