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Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

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Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#111

Post by phatfish »

tim333 wrote: post #101
reaperducer wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Texas has it easy. I've seen several places in England (and at least one in the western United States) where they have fords. For those not familiar, water runs over the road full-time, and people are expected to just drive through it like it's no big deal. Except for right after a storm, when it is a big deal. It's essentially the intersection of a road and a stream where a bridge should be, but nobody ever built on…

My dad went through one of those in England where it was a bit deep. The car had to have a new engine.

Make a mental note of the level of the air intake for the engine in your car, if the water doesn't make it that high you should be fine as long as you don't get stuck (no, i don't where it is on my car).

The engine gets damaged when water gets into the piston chamber i think. Water compresses less than air so important things bend or crack if the engine is running too long with water in it.

I wonder how electric cars fare with deep water.

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#112

Post by kylecazar »

michaelt wrote: post #96
reaperducer wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Texas has it easy. I've seen several places in England (and at least one in the western United States) where they have fords. For those not familiar, water runs over the road full-time, and people are expected to just drive through it like it's no big deal. Except for right after a storm, when it is a big deal. It's essentially the intersection of a road and a stream where a bridge should be, but nobody ever built on…

For example: https://maps.app.goo.gl/eqjHKqDxGxFNz47D7 complete with the google streetview car (presumably) driving through it And a collection of videos https://www.youtube.com/@jawalton2001/videos - it goes without saying, these aren't major thoroughfares.

Ha, the stream is not that bad in 2021 when the Google car drove it in your link. But if you go forward two steps, the date changes to 2024, and if you pan back to the river there is a much stronger/higher flow. Maybe they drove through it in 2021 but said no in 2024.

Also, there's a quizzical cow up the road a bit and now I want to live in this place. Thanks.

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#113

Post by bombcar »

nradov wrote: post #81
asdff wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't take much of a rainstorm to see localized flooding. Some debris over the storm drain is enough to flood a street. Hard to anticipate that happening.

Dangerous localized flooding has also occurred for other reasons unrelated to weather, like broken dams or embankments.

It can also occur downstream many many miles from the rain - see flash floods in the desert from mountain rains far away - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORJtxkuD62E

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#114

Post by pests »

asdff wrote: post #61
filoleg wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Granted, I am not sure exactly how Waymo operates, but I thought that the extensive testing was mostly for legal reasons+just handling edge cases. I am saying this, because I noticed that they typically start with a low-tier restrictive permit to operate (with a rather small number of cars in the fleet). Then they run it for a year or two, iron out edge cases particular to a given city (e.g., climate particularities,…

They actually do significant mapping. Where it operates currently it is not unusual to see this. It will be a waymo with a human driver operating someplace not currently in the waymo zone and clearly not en route to any maintenance facility either. Stuff like windy canyon roads with no thru access anywhere that are currently gated away, you might see a waymo with a human today. Waymo is not the only company making li…

I live minutes from Ford's new HQ in Dearborn and I see multiple lidar equipped vehicles daily. Or at least vehicles loaded up the wazoo.

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#115

Post by bombcar »

robrain wrote: post #40

Article's current (possibly original), less ambiguous title: "Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis after glitch allowed some vehicles to ‘drive into standing water’" IOW 3,800 Waymo vehicles aren't currently sat spinning their wheels in water.

This is important as flooded vehicles are a common sight on the salvage-title market.

Though the idea of a single rider calling for a Waymo and slowly one-by-one 3,800 Waymos drove into a flood and were washed away ...

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#116

Post by xnx »

tim333 wrote: post #105
xnx wrote: post #8

"recall" = applies software update

Wikipedia has >A product recall is a request from a manufacturer to return a product after the discovery of safety issues... I think using the term for a software update is abusing the language a bit. And may confuse people who have a real recall where the thing has to go to the dealer.

Yes, "recall" brings to mind serious issues like the gas tank exploding on the Ford Pinto.

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#117

Post by reaperducer »

phatfish wrote: post #111
tim333 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My dad went through one of those in England where it was a bit deep. The car had to have a new engine.

Make a mental note of the level of the air intake for the engine in your car, if the water doesn't make it that high you should be fine as long as you don't get stuck (no, i don't where it is on my car). The engine gets damaged when water gets into the piston chamber i think. Water compresses less than air so important things bend or crack if the engine is running too long with water in it. I wonder how electric cars…

I wonder how electric cars fare with deep water.

The ground clearance for my EV is 7 inches. The manual specifies it can handle 18 inches of water.

I don't know if that's the point where water messes with the electronics, or a swift current would start to move it sideways.

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#118

Post by InvertedRhodium »

amluto wrote: post #34
Animats wrote: post #2

That's a tough problem - distinguishing wet pavement from deep water. Humans make that mistake frequently. Autonomous vehicles should probably be equipped with a water sensor. (We did that in our DARPA Grand Challenge vehicle back in 2005). Then they can enter water very cautiously and see if it's too deep. This may make them too cautious about shallow puddles on roads, though.

By a water sensor do you mean a sensor to detect the water level relative to the chassis? It seems like a very inexpensive downward-facing ultrasound sensor could work.

I've used an ultrasonic sensor to detect the water level in a tank before, I don't think it would work as you describe.

Also, the sensor didn't work in that context either as condensation kept forming on it.

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#119

Post by InvertedRhodium »

eraGq wrote: post #88
Animats wrote: post #2

That's a tough problem - distinguishing wet pavement from deep water. Humans make that mistake frequently. Autonomous vehicles should probably be equipped with a water sensor. (We did that in our DARPA Grand Challenge vehicle back in 2005). Then they can enter water very cautiously and see if it's too deep. This may make them too cautious about shallow puddles on roads, though.

Any human can distinguish wet pavement from a flooded street. Some voluntarily drive into the flooded street. And that is the difference. In a Waymo you are a prisoner, in your own car you can turn around.

I rode my motorcycle into a hole that almost swallowed the front tyre entirely in rural Australia. That hole had just been a slight depression that collected water the last time I rode through it, and there was no visual indication that it was now deeper.

Re: Waymo updates 3,800 robotaxis after they 'drive into standing water'

#120

Post by Terr_ »

phatfish wrote: post #111
tim333 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My dad went through one of those in England where it was a bit deep. The car had to have a new engine.

Make a mental note of the level of the air intake for the engine in your car, if the water doesn't make it that high you should be fine as long as you don't get stuck (no, i don't where it is on my car). The engine gets damaged when water gets into the piston chamber i think. Water compresses less than air so important things bend or crack if the engine is running too long with water in it. I wonder how electric cars…

I fear that advice might make some people overconfident when the water isn't stationary. Flooding doesn't have to be that intake-high to sweep a car sideways off the road.
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