Waymo is testing its autonomous cars in the rain in the rain

The goal will be to see how the vehicle's suite of sensors – which includes a lidar, cameras and radar – withstands Florida's hurricane season. "Heavy rains can generate a lot of noise for our sensors, wet roads can also cause other users to behave differently, and tests help us understand unique driving conditions and better understand the impact of rain. on the movements of our vehicles. " , "wrote Waymo in a blog post.

Waymo will test the cars for several weeks in a closed circuit in Naples. Human drivers will then test the vehicles on public roads in Miami. The vehicles will then take the highways between Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and Miami.

The whims of Mother Nature are an obstacle for all autonomous cars. A Michigan State University study found that even light rain can confuse the algorithms used by autonomous driving systems to detect pedestrians and other road users. Autonomous vehicles still do not know how to adapt to slippery road conditions in the same way as drivers, taking additional measures like braking well in advance. Bad weather is not the only factor that prevents autonomous cars from getting ready for prime time. The edge reported earlier this year that Waymo cars in Arizona are still confused by cluttered parking and unprotected left turns. Hopefully more aggressive test series will help prepare these vehicles for the road.