Self-driving lifts resumed on the road test

The Lyft autonomous vehicle sector has resumed testing on California roads, which had been suspended for months due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Lift Level 5 team announced on June 30 (local time) that some autonomous vehicles will drive on Palo Alto roads and in-house test tracks. The pilot program for Palo Alto employees has not yet resumed.

As testing resumes, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC guidelines will be followed, including the use of personal protective equipment and cleaning of surfaces. In addition, additional safety measures will be taken to prevent the spread of Corona 19. A partition is installed between the two operators on board for each autonomous vehicle. Operators must wear a face shield and measure body temperature. The operator will be paired for another two weeks.

The Rift Level 5 program began in July 2017, but California road tests did not start until November 2018. Level 5 means self-driving and being able to drive autonomously in all situations. Rift will carry out the following test programs and vehicles, and the quarterly mileage until the second half of 2019 has more than quadrupled six months ago.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the Rift tested 19 autonomous vehicles on California’s roads in 2019. The Rift also revealed in its annual report in February that it drove about 69,000km through 19 autonomous driving modes that were run during the period from December 2018 to November 2019. Compared to Argo AI, Cruise, and Waymo, which are conducting similar tests, the number is small, but the Rift is also advancing the program.

Rift supplemented the road tests through simulations and relied on simulation more than ever during the COVID-19 suspension. As California deregulates and resumes its economy, simulations will continue to be used. According to the blog by Robert Morgan, Director of Level 5 Project Engineering, and Sameer Qureshi, Director of Product Management, posted on June 30th, simulation is a cost-effective way to further enhance control, reproducibility and stability. Is. They revealed that the simulation allowed the Level 5 team to run the test without leaving the house for several months, without leaving the vehicle or leaving the staff. The Level 5 division employs more than 400 employees in London, Munich and the United States.

The use of simulation in autonomous vehicle technology development is an established tool in the industry. Rift’s approach to the data it uses to improve simulation is significantly different from its competitors. Rift is using data collected from drivers in its dispatch service app for simulation tests, 3D mapping, and understanding human driving patterns. Related information can be found here .