Beginning autonomous operations with the 6th-generation Waymo Driver
7 hours ago
- #autonomous-vehicles
- #sensor-fusion
- #AI-technology
- Waymo begins fully autonomous operations with its 6th-generation Driver, marking a significant step in expanding its technology to more cities and riders.
- The 6th-generation Waymo Driver is designed for long-term growth across multiple vehicle platforms, with expanded capabilities to operate in diverse environments, including extreme winter weather.
- Waymo's autonomous system has driven nearly 200 million fully autonomous miles across 10+ major cities and freeways, reinforcing the importance of resilient inputs for safe AI.
- The Waymo Driver utilizes a custom, multi-modal sensing suite, including high-resolution cameras, advanced imaging radar, and lidar, to navigate rare events confidently.
- Waymo's vision system features a next-gen 17-megapixel imager, offering superior resolution, dynamic range, and low-light sensitivity compared to standard automotive cameras.
- The system includes integrated cleaning mechanisms to maintain visibility in inclement weather, with lidar and radar providing redundancy when cameras are limited.
- Waymo's 6th-generation lidar leverages cost reductions and custom-designed chips for greater distance, fidelity, and robustness, optimized for expansion.
- Short-range lidars provide redundant coverage, enhancing accuracy in urban scenarios like navigating alongside vulnerable road users or opening car doors.
- Waymo's imaging radar creates dense, temporal maps to track objects in all lighting and weather conditions, with improved performance in rain or snow.
- External Audio Receivers (EARs) help the Waymo Driver detect and localize important sounds like emergency vehicle sirens, enhancing situational awareness.
- The 6th-generation system is designed for versatility across different vehicle platforms, enabling high-volume production and scalability.
- Waymo is transitioning to fully autonomous operations on the Ojai platform, refining the rider experience before opening to the public.
- Waymo is seeking innovators to develop next-generation sensing technology and custom compute hardware for global scalability.