The Guardian: Uber crash shows 'catastrophic failure' of self-driving technology, experts say

[pnwmom]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/22/self-driving-car-uber-death-woman-failure-fatal-crash-arizona

Video of the first self-driving car crash that killed a pedestrian suggests a “catastrophic failure” by Uber’s technology, according to experts in the field, who said the footage showed the autonomous system erring on one of its most basic functions.

Days after a self-driving Uber SUV struck a 49-year-old pedestrian while she was crossing the street with her bicycle in Tempe, Arizona, footage released by police revealed that the vehicle was moving in autonomous mode and did not appear to slow down or detect the woman even though she was visible in front of the car prior to the collision. Multiple experts have raised questions about Uber’s Lidar technology, which is the system of lasers that the autonomous cars uses to “see” the world around them.

“This is exactly the type of situation that Lidar and radar are supposed to pick up,” said David King, an Arizona State University professor and transportation planning expert. “This is a catastrophic failure that happened with Uber’s technology.”

The videos of the car hitting Elaine Herzberg also demonstrated that the “safety driver” inside the car did not seem to be monitoring the road, raising concerns about the testing systems Uber and other self-driving car companies have deployed in cities across the US.

SNIP

[louis-t]

1. I don't trust "self-driving" cars.

Never will. Besides that, I see people walk into the road all the time thinking that traffic will stop for them. Every once in a while, someone gets killed on the main road near me.

[pnwmom]

3. And according to the article in the OP, people often cross at this particular location, even though

it's not in a crosswalk.

Police have emphasized that the victim was not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash, but experts said the technology still should have stopped the vehicle, a Volvo, and King noted that the exact section where Herzberg entered the street is a common area for pedestrians to cross near a local park.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I believe these good people (and I mean this) are wrong.

My understanding about the crash is that she stepped right in front of the Uber and that there was absolutely no time for it to react. My understanding is that this is the same outcome if the car had been under the control of the driver.

No time to react, much less stop.

[pnwmom]

4. These are experts in the technology, and they pointed out that the car should have been able

to detect the vehicle even though it was in shadows -- it is supposed to "see" better than humans, not worse.

There were at least two seconds to react, which they say is enough -- and yet the car didn't either slow down or swerve away.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/22/self-driving-car-uber-death-woman-failure-fatal-crash-arizona

"The footage “strongly suggests a failure by Uber’s automated driving system and a lack of due care by Uber’s driver”, Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law school professor and autonomous vehicle expert, said in an email. He noted that the victim is visible about two seconds before the collision, saying: “This is similar to the average reaction time for a driver. That means an alert driver may have at least attempted to swerve or brake.”

SNIP

Even though the video appeared dark, King said there was likely more visibility than the footage suggested and noted that the darkness should not affect the car’s detection abilities.

Shadows don’t matter to Lidar,” added Cummings. “There is no question it should have been able to see her.”

Police have emphasized that the victim was not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash, but experts said the technology still should have stopped the vehicle, a Volvo, and King noted that the exact section where Herzberg entered the street is a common area for pedestrians to cross near a local park.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Experts can certainly disagree. n/t

[pnwmom]

6. But they didn't. Do you have an expert to cite who disagrees with this?

The footage “strongly suggests a failure by Uber’s automated driving system and a lack of due care by Uber’s driver”, Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law school professor and autonomous vehicle expert, said in an email. He noted that the victim is visible about two seconds before the collision, saying: “This is similar to the average reaction time for a driver. That means an alert driver may have at least attempted to swerve or brake.”

Even though the video appeared dark, King said there was likely more visibility than the footage suggested and noted that the darkness should not affect the car’s detection abilities.

“Shadows don’t matter to Lidar,” added Cummings. “There is no question it should have been able to see her.”

Police have emphasized that the victim was not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash, but experts said the technology still should have stopped the vehicle, a Volvo, and King noted that the exact section where Herzberg entered the street is a common area for pedestrians to cross near a local park.

[brush]

7. Sorry, you're out of the loop on this one and it seems you've accepted the police story.

Have you even looked at the video? The car's lidar and radar should have easily detected her and stopped way before it hit her.

The car didn't even slow down, meaning there was a failure of its technology.