- [Michael] When Mercedes invited me
for a nighttime autonomous
test drive at CES,
I was worried that my video
would be too dark to watch.
Well, as it turn out, after
sundown is the best time
to peek inside the machine.
I'm Michael Fisher of Mr. Mobile,
that's Nicole Scott of Mobile Geeks,
and we got a first-hand look
at how Mercedes teaches
cars to drive themselves.
(hard-hitting, bass
thumping electronic beat)
So, Las Vegas is the final stop
in what has been a five-month test drive
across five continents for
Mercedes Intelligent Drive team.
The purpose of which, was to
gather as much data as possible
about driving in as many
settings as possible.
For every country Mercedes sells cars in,
there are different driving regulations,
different road layouts, and
the behavior of the people
on those roads is different, too.
To get a car to learn how to
better assist a human driver,
and eventually drive itself,
takes a mammoth amount of information,
and this S-Class test car has
a mammoth piece of equipment
just for the task.
This is not the system that
actually does the self driving.
Surprisingly, that's this,
much smaller, magic box.
Rather, this is what records all the data
the car gets as it's driving.
Up to 12 GB a minute,
so that Mercedes can analyze it later on.
Fun fact, the equipment works so hard,
that even in the January desert cold,
it's not necessary to
run the heat in the car.
All the data being collected
comes from the car's sensors.
In addition to
the ultrasonic proximity
sensors dotting the exterior,
we've got a radar system
behind the grill up forward,
exterior cameras covering
front, side, and rear,
sensors that monitor a ton
of car systems internally,
and cabin cameras that watch the driver,
so Mercedes can learn
more about human input.
Remember, this is a test
car, not a production model.
So, whenever it's rolling,
there's always a human behind
the wheel who can take over
if the the system runs into
a situation it can't handle.
As we drive the streets of Las Vegas,
I get an up-close view
of what the car sees
through all those sensors.
It uses the combination of radar, optical,
and ultrasonics to see and
classify objects in its view,
and that fusion of sensors
means it knows the difference
between, not just a car and
a person in a crosswalk,
but also the difference between
a person standing alone,
and one holding hands with another person,
or walking a dog, or
pushing a shopping cart.
Ten times every second,
the brain up the system
updates its information
and makes new decisions based on it.
When there's a choice to be made
about dealing with something
aggressively or conservatively,
the system plays it safe.
But, you know, safe doesn't
mean the same thing everywhere.
Part of the reason this was a world tour,
was because drivers in
Shanghai, for example,
don't deal with pedestrians
in the same way as drivers in Las Vegas,
cars on the Autobahn use
different following distances
compared to cars in the Outback,
road marking differ across
regions, you get the idea.
Thankfully, the car doesn't
have to work from scratch
when it's trying to
figure out a new roadway.
A partnership with HERE Maps
gives it local data for many regions.
My takeaway from my half
hour in the passenger seat,
teaching a computer to drive a car
is weirdly not all that
different from teaching a person.
That's not to say it's easy.
I mean, think about it, driving is hard.
There are so many variables
on even a typical spin around
the block, not to mention
the once in a lifetime,
random unexpected event
that turns on a split second decision.
That's why companies working
towards the self-driving car
can't just simulate this stuff.
They need the kind of
random data you can only get
from unpredictable humans
in a chaotic world.
Of course, companies also need
the technology to harness that data
and the scale to learn from
it across the whole planet.
Mercedes isn't the only
company doing this,
but it's the only one to have given me
such an in-depth peek at
the future of driving.
One last bonus look at that future
came at the end of our drive.
At the moment, much of the
technology being demoed here
is used to assist a human driver,
not totally take over for one.
But, when car's do go fully automated,
they're gonna need a way
to communicate with people.
Enter these fancy headlights,
which are actually projectors.
Not for impromptu movie nights,
although that's definitely
possible, but for communicating.
For example, to tell someone
waiting to cross the street
that yes, it's safe to cross,
I see you, and I'm not
going to run you over.
That's something a driver communicates
with eye contact and maybe a
hand gesture in today's cars,
but something a self-driving auto might do
with a system like this.
Of course, you need a different solution
for when the sun's out,
but one step at a time.
Folks, this is just a quick peek.
If you want to hear more thoughts
on the Mercedes Intelligent Drive tour,
I had a great chat with Nicole Scott
immediately after this test drive,
the video of which you can
find over on her channel.
I'll drop the link in the
description and the comments.
Big thanks to Nicole for
inviting me along on this one,
and use that same comment
section to let me know
if you'd like to see more
videos like this in 2018.
Mr. Mobile CES 2018 coverage
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This was my final video from CES 2018.
Folks, next week, we'll circle back
to smartphones, laptops,
and maybe a wearable or two.
Subscribe to theMrMobile on
YouTube so you don't miss it,
and until next time, thanks for watching,
and stay mobile, my friends.
