Google Self-Driving Cars Learn Horn Honking

Google’s twee koala-mobiles are becoming increasingly intelligent day by day and this is what could make its self-driving project a success.

Google Self-Driving Cars

Google has posted a monthly update on its autonomous car project, which reveals that the cars have mastered the art of horn-honking. Though honking is considered an annoying driving habit, but it is required every now and then to alert other drivers of your presence.

Google’s honking algorithm

Google’s honking algorithm has been improved and it is now capable of sounding different kinds of honks. In the previous version of the software, the beep could only be heard inside the car to warn the human test pilot if it’s suitable to honk. The improved software can honk quietly or loudly according to the situation. Google says, “If another vehicle is slowly reversing towards us, we might sound two short, quieter pips as a friendly heads up to let the driver know we’re behind. However, if there’s a situation that requires more urgency, we’ll use one loud sustained honk.”

In order to equip self-driving cars to better understand human behavior, Google last year invited kids to play around their parked cars during Halloween. The practice was to improve the software comprehending children’s behavior wearing different costumes. Google says, “We teach our cars to drive more cautiously around children. When our sensors detect children -costumed or not – in the vicinity, our software understands that they may behave differently. Children’s movements can be more unpredictable – suddenly darting across the road or running down a sidewalk – and they’re easily obscured behind parked cars.”

We truly believe Google is working day and night to teach its autonomous cars the difference between potentially tricky situations and false positives. But, will they be as safe as self-driving car advocates present them, only the time will tell.

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