Live data from Hacker News

Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

youtube.com

21–30 of 136 posts

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#21
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canadian perspective: This is very clear. Much more challenging is something like a multi-lane highway where the road markings have completely disappeared under snow. I'll be impressed when it can drive from Hope into the BC interior in winter in conditions that a human driver can handle with winter tires and possibly studs, but no need for chains. https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=coq...

Oh man I've driven through canada to blue mountain during a blizzard. That was scary. I really have to wonder how computer vision will account for that. Or similarly torrential downpours here in the Tropics.

To be fair to computers I’m not sure human vision accounts for that, we just get lucky and fall prey to survivor bias :-)

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#22
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh man I've driven through canada to blue mountain during a blizzard. That was scary. I really have to wonder how computer vision will account for that. Or similarly torrential downpours here in the Tropics.

I don't think CV ever will account for that. I always have thought the answer is going to be somewhere between great technology, and infrastructure to support it. We need "smart" roads.

Ultimately I think it'll have to be smart highways. You could embed a coded marker in the centre of each lane which the car can pick up using RF (e.g. an induction loop). This plus other constraints like GPS, visual-inertial odometry, etc should be enough to localise and remain safely within a lane boundary even if it's invisible. This would work fine through a layer of snow - some of the more expensive ski jackets have built in loops for detection in case of avalanches.

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#23
post #22
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think CV ever will account for that. I always have thought the answer is going to be somewhere between great technology, and infrastructure to support it. We need "smart" roads.

Ultimately I think it'll have to be smart highways. You could embed a coded marker in the centre of each lane which the car can pick up using RF (e.g. an induction loop). This plus other constraints like GPS, visual-inertial odometry, etc should be enough to localise and remain safely within a lane boundary even if it's invisible. This would work fine through a layer of snow - some of the more expensive ski jackets h…

It's hard to see how we could get from where we are right now, infrastructure-wise, to there, at least here in the US. We can barely keep our roads driveable in some places, much less modernized with the latest in smart beacons and such.

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#24
post #7

If anyone was going to focus on making sure their self-driving car could drive in snow, it'd be the Russians. Mind you, self-driving when snow has coated all your landmarks is definitely impressive, but the title made me think it'd be driving in snow . Which it isn't. The roads are, what we'd call in Chicago, "clear". The car is not driving in/on snow or ice in this scenario, which is something I do regularly every w…

Canadian perspective: This is very clear. Much more challenging is something like a multi-lane highway where the road markings have completely disappeared under snow. I'll be impressed when it can drive from Hope into the BC interior in winter in conditions that a human driver can handle with winter tires and possibly studs, but no need for chains. https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=coq...

Perhaps self driving cars might never support highways in places with inclement conditions to begin with, which is totally fine. I agree with the other commenter about "smart" highways with embedded markers to let the vehicle know its position despite rain/snow/mud.

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#25

If anyone was going to focus on making sure their self-driving car could drive in snow, it'd be the Russians. Mind you, self-driving when snow has coated all your landmarks is definitely impressive, but the title made me think it'd be driving in snow . Which it isn't. The roads are, what we'd call in Chicago, "clear". The car is not driving in/on snow or ice in this scenario, which is something I do regularly every w…

Not only that, but the contrast between road and non-road is even clearer with the snow.

Which may make the auto driving easier.

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#26
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canadian perspective: This is very clear. Much more challenging is something like a multi-lane highway where the road markings have completely disappeared under snow. I'll be impressed when it can drive from Hope into the BC interior in winter in conditions that a human driver can handle with winter tires and possibly studs, but no need for chains. https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=coq...

Oh man I've driven through canada to blue mountain during a blizzard. That was scary. I really have to wonder how computer vision will account for that. Or similarly torrential downpours here in the Tropics.

Perhaps better. LIDAR can distinguish between clear, solid and semi-clear (snow and slush).

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#27
post #22
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think CV ever will account for that. I always have thought the answer is going to be somewhere between great technology, and infrastructure to support it. We need "smart" roads.

Ultimately I think it'll have to be smart highways. You could embed a coded marker in the centre of each lane which the car can pick up using RF (e.g. an induction loop). This plus other constraints like GPS, visual-inertial odometry, etc should be enough to localise and remain safely within a lane boundary even if it's invisible. This would work fine through a layer of snow - some of the more expensive ski jackets h…

Volvo has proposed driving magnetized nails into pavements in Sweden as lane markers. Not only are these useful for self-driving cars, they're good for snowplow guidance.

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#28
post #7

If anyone was going to focus on making sure their self-driving car could drive in snow, it'd be the Russians. Mind you, self-driving when snow has coated all your landmarks is definitely impressive, but the title made me think it'd be driving in snow . Which it isn't. The roads are, what we'd call in Chicago, "clear". The car is not driving in/on snow or ice in this scenario, which is something I do regularly every w…

Canadian perspective: This is very clear. Much more challenging is something like a multi-lane highway where the road markings have completely disappeared under snow. I'll be impressed when it can drive from Hope into the BC interior in winter in conditions that a human driver can handle with winter tires and possibly studs, but no need for chains. https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=coq...

I'd be impressed if I see a self-driving car making a left turn in a crowded junction without a specific left-turn signal at LA. The only way to turn left in such roads is to make an illegal turn after the signal just becomes red. I wonder how the self-driving car would do in such a situation.

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#29
post #4

I'd love for it to be true, but it's tough to believe that's real. There's one point where a pedestrian is standing in the snow on the road just to the side of where the car would pass: https://youtu.be/Bx08yRsR9ow?t=35s Wouldn't any pedestrian detection decide the person in the road has priority and stop and let them cross? It isn't capable of reading a person's intention to stand there vs. cross or not. The title c…

In some places, people often walk on the road and it's expected that the drivers will just drive next to them.

If self-driving cars are to use the current infrastructure and drive as a regular car on regular roads then better be able to handle this.

Re: Self-driving car on Moscow streets after snowfall [video]

#30
post #27
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultimately I think it'll have to be smart highways. You could embed a coded marker in the centre of each lane which the car can pick up using RF (e.g. an induction loop). This plus other constraints like GPS, visual-inertial odometry, etc should be enough to localise and remain safely within a lane boundary even if it's invisible. This would work fine through a layer of snow - some of the more expensive ski jackets h…

Volvo has proposed driving magnetized nails into pavements in Sweden as lane markers. Not only are these useful for self-driving cars, they're good for snowplow guidance.

How often would the magnets need to be replaced?
Post reply on HN