Google's Self-Driving Cars Are Finally Taking to the Freeway
The Alphabet subsidiary, now known as Waymo, has announced that its robotaxi service will now be able to drive on freeways in several cities across the US and abroad. This marks a significant milestone for the company's self-driving car project, which began testing in the Bay Area back in 2009.
To prepare for highways, Waymo engineers supplemented real-world driving data with data collected on private courses and simulations. Two onboard computers create system "redundancies," meaning vehicles will have computer backup systems if something goes wrong. The vehicles are also trained to exit highways in emergency situations but can pull over as well.
According to Naomi Guthrie, a Waymo user experience researcher, freeway driving is one of those things that's easy to learn but hard to master. Highways are predictable with clear signs and lane lines, limited vehicles and players, making them easier for the vehicle's software to recognize and predict.
However, Waymo executives say safety emergencies on highways are rare, so the team was unable to collect enough real-world data to train its vehicles to operate safely there. Engineers supplemented this data by creating simulations and using private courses with closed courses. They have also worked closely with law enforcement agencies to develop procedures for stranded vehicles on highway shoulders.
At launch, Waymo's freeway service will only be available in limited portions of certain highways across the US and abroad, but it plans to roll out the feature to all riders eventually.
The Alphabet subsidiary, now known as Waymo, has announced that its robotaxi service will now be able to drive on freeways in several cities across the US and abroad. This marks a significant milestone for the company's self-driving car project, which began testing in the Bay Area back in 2009.
To prepare for highways, Waymo engineers supplemented real-world driving data with data collected on private courses and simulations. Two onboard computers create system "redundancies," meaning vehicles will have computer backup systems if something goes wrong. The vehicles are also trained to exit highways in emergency situations but can pull over as well.
According to Naomi Guthrie, a Waymo user experience researcher, freeway driving is one of those things that's easy to learn but hard to master. Highways are predictable with clear signs and lane lines, limited vehicles and players, making them easier for the vehicle's software to recognize and predict.
However, Waymo executives say safety emergencies on highways are rare, so the team was unable to collect enough real-world data to train its vehicles to operate safely there. Engineers supplemented this data by creating simulations and using private courses with closed courses. They have also worked closely with law enforcement agencies to develop procedures for stranded vehicles on highway shoulders.
At launch, Waymo's freeway service will only be available in limited portions of certain highways across the US and abroad, but it plans to roll out the feature to all riders eventually.
... anyway, what's up with Waymo finally hitting the freeways? Like they've been testing this for ages already 
, and it's about time they got it right, I guess. 
, like humans are so unreliable or something. It's all just a bunch of tech wizardry, but what about the real-world stuff? 
Highway driving is easy when you've got all the signs and lanes and whatnot, but add some real emergencies into it... 
, so I guess that's a good start. And yeah, limited rollout in certain areas initially 
, but eventually they'll be all over the place 
, probably by the time we're all used to them 
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I'm literally so stoked about this! Self-driving cars are like, the future, right? And Waymo is killing it by finally taking their robotaxi service on highways 
. I mean, think about it, no more stress of driving on the highway with all those crazy drivers and cars... it's like a dream come true 
. Plus, they're doing it in a super safe way, with redundancies and whatnot to make sure everything goes smoothly 
. And can you imagine having a vehicle that just takes care of you while you're on the road? Mind blown! 
this is like a dream come true for me who's been waiting for yrs for autonomous vehicles to become a reality 
. I remember when I was a kid and my dad used to tell me about how he got lost on the highway because he didn't know how to use the GPS 
it's crazy to think that now we're gonna have robotaxis that can navigate through highways w/o any human error 
. I do hope they implement all the safety measures tho like exit strategies & emergency protocols 'cause accidents can still happen even w/ robots 
. Can't wait 2 try it out! 
i mean, highways can be pretty stressful with traffic and whatnot, so having a robot do the driving would be amazing. plus it's good that they're working on simulating emergency situations, like if the car breaks down or something. 
but yeah, it's gonna take some time to get everything just right, i'm sure. 
It's like, we're living in a sci-fi movie or something! And what's the hold up on getting it to all riders eventually? Like, can't we just have robotaxis rolling out left and right already? 
. But seriously, it's a major milestone for Waymo and all the potential benefits are huge - no human driver needed, way more efficient... just imagine being able to ride wherever you want without worrying about who's behind the wheel 
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two overlapping circles: "safe" and "highway". The circle of "safe" is pretty small because we know highway driving can be chaotic 
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how they're using private courses and simulations to train the vehicles, that's genius! And having two onboard computers as redundancies is a great safety feature. I'm curious to see how this will all play out in real life, though - I hope it's not just a matter of "oh, we thought of that" when something goes wrong on the highway 
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. And what about all those trucks and buses? Those guys can be unpredictable, for sure. Not to mention the weather conditions, it's not just rain or shine, there's thunderstorms, fog, etc. I'm glad they're taking this slow and steady approach, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here, we need more data, like, a lot more data 
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safety concerns are definitely valid but it sounds like Waymo has thought this through, having backup systems in place and working closely with law enforcement...fingers crossed for a smooth ride 
cant wait to see them roll out on more highways tho