Regardless of your opinion on self-driving cars (and we know the jury is still very much out on them at the moment), it seems almost certain that they will form some part of the future of motoring. That isn’t, however, to say that the technology doesn’t still have a long way to go.
For example, it’s well known that many of the systems AI can significantly struggle to identify the road in poor weather conditions. Particularly after a snowfall. In a video released by MIT, however, researchers believe that they may have the answer to it!
Self-Driving Cars Tackle Snow with New Technology
So, how does it work? Well, essentially the car is fitted with ground-penetrating radar (GPR). With this, the AI is effectively able to scan the surface on which the car is driving and determine which part of it is the actual road.
From there, based on your position, it can ensure that you are not only driving on tarmac (and yes, it can distinguish it from just dirt or solid ground) but also that you’re on the correct side of the road! If you want to see it in action you can check out the video below.
What Do We Think?
Self-driving car technology has a long way to go before it will ever be widely accepted throughout the world. Advances such as this, however, are a clear, solid, and sensible step forward. If it is, therefore going to happen, we need to see more things like this!
With more testing to go, expect to see this GPR system implemented by companies such as Tesla and Toyota in the very near future!
What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!
