【My Mothers Friend 5】

Self-driving cars could My Mothers Friend 5be on public roads soon -- so shouldn't they be ready to handle every possible variable of the driving experience?

That's what Waymo is trying to teach its autonomous driving system with its new emergency vehicle tests, training the AI to recognize the flashing lights and sirens that signal all the human drivers on the road to pull over to the curb.

Waymo shared some new details about the training, carried out as part of a collaboration with Chandler, Ariz. Fire & Police Department in a blog post.

Sensing an emergency vehicle on the road isn't entirely new to the autonomous platform — Waymo's been training its system to do this since the company was still just the Google X self-driving car project — but this was the first dedicated test with the new improved sensor suite and fleet of Chrysler Pacifica minivans.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

SEE ALSO: George Hotz's Command.ai is back to help you automate your car

The testing revolved around data collection, as a few of Waymo's vans "observed" the ways in which the firetrucks, ambulances, police cars, and motorcycles commanded the closed roadway in Arizona. The Waymo vans were passed, led, and trailed by the emergency vehicles, collecting essential road information all the while to build up a new library of emergency response protocols.

Waymo says that its new sensors, which it famously began to produce itself at the start of the year, expand its range of "hearing" by double its previous capabilities through audio detection sensors. The new cameras and LiDAR rig can pick up visual signals from a wider range than previously as well, which should improve the vans' response time.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The new setup also allows the company's engineers to train the AI to determine from which direction the emergency vehicle is approaching to better mimic the way human driver's respond to the alarms.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Waymo's vans are already on the road in Phoenix giving self-driven rides to the public in a pilot program, and the new emergency testing will give the fleet even more data to improve its service.

The company is prepping for even bigger expansions of its self-driving tech -- it's testing trucks and making deals with the likes of Lyft and Avis to position its fleet for wider deployment in the near future -- so it's refreshing to see the company still focused on one of the subtle (but important) wrinkles of the driving experience.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Helmet lets kids "drive" their parents because self-respect is overrated

---

Topics Artificial Intelligence Self-Driving Cars

• Social Good
• Science
• Tech
• Life
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Games

• 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 5: The spores are here!
• Woman reports same dick pic 3 times, gets 3 different responses from Twitter
• Tesla delays semi truck debut to focus on Puerto Rico aid and Model 3
• MashReads Podcast: Getting nostalgic over hope and change with former Obama speechwriter David Litt
• The internet is talking like Kevin from 'The Office' now
• Be your own publicist: How to use your resume to really sell yourself
• Walmart tries to undercut Amazon with 30
• Meryl Streep weighs in on Harvey Weinstein
• Best Sony headphones deal: Over $100 off Sony XM5 headphones
• Halloween costume ideas for couples who are about to break up

• Coronavirus cooking is like a messed
• Panera Bread is testing Amazon One palm readers
• Highly relatable Twitter meme compares the start of March to its end
• Missing bar trivia? There's a coronavirus alternative.
• Arkansas vs UConn: Livestream options for the Sweet 16 matchup
• How to livestream Gonzaga vs. UCLA in the Sweet 16 matchup
• Medical kink store donates scrubs to hospital in need
• Amazon workers in NYC warehouse strike to demand coronavirus protections
• 'Dredge' is an eldritch fishing game that can be quite pleasant, if you let it
• FAU vs Tennessee livestream: How to watch the Sweet 16

• Shop the Shark FlexStyle for 20% off at Amazon
• The cult of pumpkin spice is so strong that it brought down an entire school in the US
• Woman reports same dick pic 3 times, gets 3 different responses from Twitter
• Huge update should fix most problems of the Essential Phone's camera
• Put Me In, Coach!
• Should you watch the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' trailer tonight?
• Be your own publicist: How to use your resume to really sell yourself
• 'Black Mirror' Season 4 is the 'most playful' and 'most horrible' yet
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve Connections #237
• Rick and Morty fans and McDonald's prove we can't have nice things

• Best Apple deal: Save $19 on AirTag 4
• 'The Walking Dead' will finally cross over with 'Fear,' says Robert Kirkman
• McDonald's relents to rabid 'Rick and Morty' fans, promises more Szechuan sauce
• Han Solo movie 'almost' done shooting, has 'premature' wrap party anyway
• Instagram tests Storylines, a collaborative twist on Stories
• Amazon's 'Jack Ryan' is a spy for the Peak TV age
• Someone's already has the iPhone X out in the wild
• BlackBerry's next phone appears to counter trends with enormous bezel
• President Trump says semiconductor tariffs are next
• A letter from the front lines of the 'Rick and Morty' McDonald's sauce war