The very fact that these manufacturers are being extraordinarily cagey about the circumstances under which their automation works and where it doesn't should tell everyone everything they need to know about how 'around the corner' this tech is.
Think of it this way: non-optimal driving conditions is nowhere near the last hurdle for full autonomy. We're a long ways off.
Weather is still an issue AFAIK. Perhaps a 3d visioning system can fix this at some point, but I don't think we're there yet as those solutions are too slow for RTC.
The failsafe is to do what responsible drivers do when they can't cope with the conditions present: stop driving until conditions improve. The hard part is to reliably tell when the situation is no longer safe before something happens.
The times I've seen it rain in Singapore or kuala Lumpur it's all or nothing. Fine weather -> 2 foot of water on the road -> Fine weather.
I somehow don't think that scenario is in the test plan.
Do taxis actually disappear - which seems counter-intuitive; where would they go, and why would the drivers suddenly not want to take rides when it rains? - or is it just that all free taxis are grabbed immediately when it rains, thus there are no free taxis?
There we can answer that the seeming complete disappearance ox taxis when it rains will persist, because the ratio of customers per taxi shoots up when it starts to rain.
(Where I live (north Europe), you practically don't flag taxis on the street but order it on the phone; when I was living in Beijing, I think the rain phenomenon was simply that all taxis were taken as the first drops came down.)
It's worse than that: taxi drivers count the amount of money they made in a day and stop when it's enough. Then if it rains they make their day quickly and go home, while they will cruise much longer during low demand days.
This is a classic example of short term view and the invisible hand going bad, found in Thinking fast and slow.
Citation needed. I would think most taxi drivers are smart enough to figure out that it is better to work a few more hours more on rainy days and sit in the park on sunny days than to work a few hours more on sunny days and sit in the park on rainy days.
You got one. 'Thinking Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman. Sometimes people don't optimize long term and just prefer to get 'daily' rate and go back to their families. This might turn bad if sth happens and they can't ride for some time and could use the 'rain' money. Book is really good, highly recommended.
In NYC, I've heard that quite a few drivers have an agreement with the taxi owner that makes it barely-profitable for them to do more than a given number of rides - and with a rain, that number is achieved much earlier in the shift.
That would explain it, but I've heard this complaint about taxis disappearing when it rains in very many cities - it would be odd if they all had similarly broken incentives for the drivers.
During heavy rain, road conditions are not good and visibility is poor. Hence, the probability of getting into accidents is higher. (Think car and health insurance.) However, the fare price does not increase to compensate. In Singapore, where the demand of taxis regularly exceeds the supply, it makes more sense to go take your meal and wait out the downpour (typically over in one or two hours).
combination of (1) more riders (2) fewer taxis because (a) taxi companies cover damage on a limited basis i think (b) driver pays for repairs out of pocket and then goes through a lengthy and painful assessment and reimbursement process (c) out of work while the car is in the workshop
Perhaps they’ll also help with the Singaporean phenomenon of the seeming complete disappearance of taxis when it rains—an almost daily occurrence in the tropical clime.
My question is whether the disappearance is real, or just perceived, as when it starts to rain, the available taxis are flagged to use immediately.
I'm pretty sure it's the latter - when it rains, people take all the taxis. This is what Singaporeans say, and locals in nearby Kuala Lumpur have said the same.
> Are self-driving cars able to handle rainy conditions?
Seriously? I pretty sure all current vehicles need to go through extreme weather testing before they can be brought to market. For example my dad worked on a project testing Ford vehicles in extreme cold and snow conditions in northern MN.
Are self-driving cars able to handle rainy conditions? I'm not in the industry but thought this was still an issue.