Making Self-driving Cars Safer

ShadowCam - New MIT Technology

Source:  MIT

Cars That See Around Corners

MIT engineers and computer scientists have invented a new device - ShadowCam - that enables autonomous cars to see around corners and into shadows.  The purpose is to help make self-driving cars safer and prevent accidents.   By sensing tiny changes in shadows on the ground, the new system identifies approaching objects, such as cars and people, that could cause an accident.  It can detect a moving vehicle or person walking behind a pillar in a parking garage.

Advanced Warning System

The technology uses overlays of images that enables the car to identify shadows in real time and determine the direction of the object casting the shadows.  Based on the information and analysis, the system tells the car to slow or stop.  It is an advanced early warning system to prevent collisions.

Faster and Better than LiDAR

The MIT team is led by Prof. Daniela Rus, Director of CSAIL, MIT's Computer Science Artificial Intelligence Lab. Dr. Rus  says their new tech beats traditional LiDAR, which can only detect visible objects, by a half second.  The researchers add fractions of seconds matter with fast moving autonomous vehicles.  ShadowCam has only been tested indoors in enclosed parking lots.  Their goal is to provide "X-ray vision" to self-driving cars on the streets and highways.   The team adds that in the future service robots, delivering medicine and supplies in hospital hallways, could use the system to avoid colliding with people.  For a free copy of my audiobook "Important Innovations Collection" Robotics, here's an ACX code for the US  326G6AEPYJW2G

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