"Yandex" has started to test your autopilot in the snow

29 November 2017

As the computer can handle.
with winter driving?

Google for many years will develop unmanned systems for cars. Recently in the same direction began to work and the main domestic competitor, Yandex. Now the Russian company has started tests on snowy roads.

Icy and snow-covered road surface conceals for autopilot a lot of problems. Besides the obvious factors like significant increase in braking distance the computer will be faced with a number of other factors. For example, if all the asphalt is covered with snow,
then computer vision will be quite difficult to determine the edge of the roadway.

However, in the video the hybrid Toyota Prius, which were supplemented by computers based on NVIDIA GTX, lidar, cameras and other high-tech equipment, quite cheerfully ride around on snow-covered streets. While the tests are only
in a closed area. In development help experts US.

"To become widespread and affordable, unmanned vehicles, and must operate reliably in any weather. Including severe winters, when snow is covering the road markings and boundaries of the carriageway, and the pavement covered with ice. Each weather factor is a challenge for engineers," — said the representatives of "Andes".

"We started testing the technology for self-driving cars in winter conditions. This is an important step in the development of Autonomous transport: to become widespread and affordable, the drones must operate reliably in any weather. Including severe winters, when snow is covering the road markings and boundaries of the carriageway, and the pavement covered with ice. Each weather factor is a challenge for our engineers. The first tests of the two prototypes Yandex.Taxi unmanned technologies took place in the suburbs, where just the snow fell.
These prototypes are created on the basis of the Toyota Prius together with colleagues from the Institute of US."

Curious fact: the test machine is a logo "Yandex.Taxi", and the new movie
was published on the channel of this service. Does this mean that in the foreseeable future "Yandex" is going to refuse the services of drivers?