Up until now driverless naysayers have raised weather, especially, as a big obstacle. Not that I don't believe weather must be accounted for to ensure safe driverless services, but the technology is advancing so rapidly that I'm confident that weather and other challenges will be resolved.
And they are being resolved.
In Australia, a company by the name of Cohda Wireless has tackled two such challenges: weather and physical obstructions.
Rain, snow, sleet, and ...
Cohda has developed a sensor that can see through obstructions, be they trees or buildings at corners, and snow floating through the air, as well as other weather conditions. The system uses radar - radio waves that bounce off of any surface and, like magic, can also detect the speeds of other vehicles. The technology can be used in current generation traditional cars as well.
Two articles about this, one with a quick summary and no details about the technology, and the other a somewhat detailed description.
Honestly, I am in no position to judge the technology and I like my technology to work without my need to understand it, BUT the weather challenge and others, such as buildings and pedestrians, are often cited as reasons why driverless will not happen. Technology, whether I comprehend it or not, tends to solve such problems, especially where lots of money can be made.
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