Cars learn to understand human signals

Waymo experts have taught their driverless cars a lot: not only can they understand signals made by other vehicles, but they can also follow directions from traffic police.

Autonomous vehicles have been around for some time, but their spread has been limited so far. The reason behind this is simple: artificial intelligence can control automobiles based on a strict algorithm, but it has trouble understanding signals made by other vehicles and reacting to unusual situations on the road. That’s why it might take some time until autonomous cars gain widespread popularity.

But Waymo representatives are convinced that the situation is much better, and their cars already outperform their competitors. Most notably, they can correctly interpret signals made by traffic police and other drivers. The company’s autonomous cars are currently being tested in the US city of Chandler, with the support of the local police department.

This collaboration has proved extremely fruitful, as it has led to the development of a completely autonomous vehicle that follows traffic police signals. This is not only convenient for autonomous car users and their manufacturers, but also for law enforcement officials, whose work will become much easier with the implementation of this technology.