Alphabet Inc. subsidiary Waymo, a robotaxi tech leader has launched the sixth-generation of its “Waymo Driver” autonomous driving sensor suite, the company announced in a blog post Aug. 19. The new hardware installed on each of its ride-hailing vehicles offers an overlapping 360-degree field of view of the environment, with the ability to identify objects up to 500 meters away in darkness or poor weather conditions, according to Waymo.
From an article in Automotive Dive by Eric Walz.
The sixth-generation Waymo Driver includes 13 cameras, four lidars, six radar units and an array of external audio receivers. It uses a combination of high-resolution maps, cameras, lidar and radar to monitor the environment and safely navigate autonomously. The system uses the highly detailed custom maps matched with real-time sensor data to determine the vehicle’s precise location at all times.
Waymo says the sixth-generation offers a significantly reduced cost without compromising safety. Advancements in sensor technology combined with their strategic placement on the vehicle allowed Waymo to reduce the number of total sensors in its latest version, while still maintaining a high level of redundancy, including backup steering and braking systems, to prevent any single-point failures in the system.
The sixth-generation Waymo Driver sensor suite has completed thousands of miles of real-world testing, and millions more miles in computer simulation to ensure a high level of safety, according to the blog post. The testing includes a combination of computer simulation, closed course testing and public road evaluations.
The ability to safely operate autonomous vehicles in all weather conditions is a challenging task for developers. But Waymo has taken preventive measures from the knowledge it gained from testing its autonomous vehicles in 13 states across the U.S. to ensure that each vehicle sensor can maintain a clear view of the surroundings, even in adverse conditions.
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