MIT Scientists To Give Autonomous Cars The Ability To See Around A Corner

MIT’s researchers have found a way to help autonomous cars stay safe on the roads. With this new method, these vehicles can see what is around the corners, which human drivers are usually unable to see.

The idea of an autonomous car that can prepare for what coming from corners humans cannot see has been troubling scientists for years. It is not that we have not invented the necessary hardware, but their cost will drive up the overall price of the car, which will hurt sales.

The new system will be exhibited at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Macau. It is an improvement of ShadowCam, a system developed a few years ago. It uses neither X-ray technology nor laser scanners, but video cameras that focus on one area.

As stated by MIT, the camera can take several video frames that give the car clues of a possible incoming vehicle by analyzing the change in lighting and shadows. The system can also provide the speed and position of what is around the corner. The prediction can give the car enough time to slow down or even stop if needed. In tests, this system proves that it is half a second faster than laser-based LiDAR hardware.

For now, the system is not ready for byways and highways yet. The researchers have only conducted experiments in garages, with headlights turned off to recreate the conditions of the nighttime, and hallways with electric wheelchairs.

This system for autonomous cars will have to be trained a lot more to be able to adapt to the ever-changing lighting conditions of our world. Another challenge the system has to overcome is how to operate in the daytime when the sun can wash out shadows or change the way they fall on the surface of the roads.