Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Volvo's driverless cars 'confused' by kangaroos
Hands Off the Wheel. Self-driving cars are on the way not only in tech-savvy Silicon Valley or over-congested Beijing but also the Outback in Australia. Each market seems to require distinct challenges for the driving computer of such vehicles. On a busy highway, there are many cars around you that may change the speed, lane or direction at any moment. In a residential area or on a busy downtown street, there are kids and bicycles that could suddenly make an unpredictable move or appearance. And on a rural road, there are wild animals that run or jump across the street suddenly. Cars drive by themselves need to be able to detect such moves and react without delay.
In Australia, of the 20,000 or so animal collisions each year, and around 16,000, or 80%, of such animal-caused accidents involved kangaroos. The problem is that kangaroos apparently make quite different moves from other large animals, so that the latest Large Animal Detection system is fooled by their distinctive jumping and landing.
Enjoy reading and thinking what your course of action would be when you saw a kangaroo by the roadside.
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