The autonomous vehicle industry has always struggled with navigating bad weather. At times, it can become difficult even for the cameras, lidar, and radar to detect fog, snow, and rain at times. This is why Waymo, an Alphabet company, has been secretly working on their AV’s weather detectors and they might have found the solution. In fact, they might soon introduce the world’s first AV fog map in San Francisco.
The Research
Millions of data points were gathered by Waymo’s fleet of autonomous vehicles as they traveled through the foggy streets of San Francisco to create the map. Waymo is able to develop a new meteorological “metric” that it then feeds to its autonomous Waymo Driver to assist in decision-making using special weather-detecting vehicles with visibility sensors. Robert Chen, the product lead for Waymo’s weather team, stated that fog has been a big focus for the business. That makes sense in light of the significance the San Francisco Bay Area has for the corporation both financially and symbolically. In order to outperform human drivers, many of whom are overconfident in their own ability to see through particularly dense fog, the ultimate goal is to create a vehicle that can reliably and securely navigate through all forms of severe weather.
Trials and Testing
Arizona was the primary location for Waymo’s initial testing due to its sunny, dry climate and flat terrain. However, over the last few years, the company has broadened the scope of its testing to include more hazardous environments, such as icy Novi, Michigan, soggy Kirkland, Washington, foggy San Francisco, and hot Florida. Waymo’s fleet can follow the development of coastal fogs coming from the Pacific Ocean using this map, as well as how they dissipate when the sun rises. The company claimed that its weather observation capabilities allow them to localize where the weather conditions are beginning to deteriorate or improve. They are already using these to make ride-hailing services available in San Francisco and Phoenix.
Pimp My Ride Is Back! Here’s How You Can Watch it on YouTube
When Pimp My Ride was on the air in the early 2000s, it was one of the most popular shows on MTV. It entertained fans with its cool cars and over-the-top modifications that gave each vehicle more personality than it could handle. Although the show only ran from 2004 to 2007 before being canceled, plenty of people still remember it fondly. The show is now all set to get a new lease of life in the UK with support from an eBay team.
The Concept of the Show
Pimp My Ride was a popular TV show from 2004 to 2007. The show featured the host driving around in a beat-up car and ensuring it was completely pimped out. After the car was done being worked on, the host would give the keys to the lucky owner, and they’d drive off into the sunset. In its first run, it was hosted by English DJ Tim Westwood, while Carisma Automotive did the restoration and modification work. Lady Leshurr, who’s most well-known for her Queen’s Speech freestyles, is ready to take the reins for the reboot. The show will return as an online property on August 19, hosted on the MTV YouTube channel and sponsored by eBay.
The Initial Projects
Among the first vehicles the team will work on will be a Mitsubishi GT, which will feature Fast and Furious–inspired modifications, as both franchises have similar storylines. Wrench Studios, a high-performance tuning shop in Ashford, England, has done high-powered builds on their YouTube page, making this project a perfect match. In addition, the MTV series Pimp My Ride has an interesting cultural history. The show received criticism for the amount of trickery taking place during production, but it became an essential part of car culture during its era. And while there aren’t many tribute vehicles in circulation, it’ll be interesting to see what the British crew can produce.