EEVblog #1068 - Autonomous Uber Incident Update

An update on the autonomous self driving Uber Volvo XC-90 involved in the pedestrian fatality.
It is being reported that Uber disabled the Intel Mobileye collision avoidance sensor that is factory fitted in Volvo XC90.
Intel have ran the dashcam footage of the accident through the Mobileye system and said that even with the dark footage it would have detected the pedestrian a second before the incident.

Support the EEVblog through Patreon!

Stuff I recommend:

Donate With Bitcoin & Other Crypto Currencies!

[SeanHodgins]

I wouldn't put it passed a "grey area" company like Uber to change the footage to look worse than what their system actually recorded.

[TheRealSasquatch]

The person who was sat in the drivers seat is to blame. If they had been alert, or even just looking out of the windscreen they could have taken evasive action.

[remogaggi]

The “driver” that was texting in the vehicle really screwed up. He/she had ONE job to do. And they failed...total loser

[peekpt]

The poor camera's contrast was the first thing that really grind my gears. Seriously? Will someone believe that someone would use a potato camera on a self driving car?

[mikeoliver]

Everything I've read and heard about Uber before this happened, would lead me to think Uber was cutting corners and trying to do it on the cheap.

[alexsouthpb]

At 6:12-6:19, the Volvo system doesn’t detect the bicyclist coming into the scene from behind pedestrians and going past in back of the van in the left of scene/highlighted in green box.
Just saying, nothing’s perfect.

[SaabFAN]

I think, the "official" video is a bit too dark, considering the videos other people made with what appears to be smartphones, to be from the car's sensors.
Considering the quality of the video, I believe it could be from a standard dashcam, however, judging from how typical dashcam-vids look like.

[jwflame]

For those that don't get it - the issue here is not whether the car could have stopped or whether the pedestrian should have crossed there or any of that.
This is a car, self driving at highway speeds, and loaded with multiple technologies to identify everything around it and avoid collisions.
It did not react in any way to an obvious pedestrian.
What's next - the car didn't detect that intersection and mashed into the crossing traffic?
Or it didn't detect the bend in the road and continued straight into the opposite lane causing a head on collision?
Or it didn't detect that stationery traffic / shopping mall / park / school / pedestrian area ?
Uber are buying thousands of these cars. They will be driving in your country, in your town, in your street.

[sykskysyk]

As you say, disabling the MobilEye system isn't unreasonable for their situation. If Uber were transparent and shared additional data from all of their onboard sensors, I think it would mitigate the negative public response. There is too much speculation that will never be put to rest without the actual data from the vehicle.

[frantzs]

You didn't mention LIDAR sensor, which can see in the dark.

[russellhltn]

Let's face it. Uber's business plan isn't exactly built on following local laws. And a self-driving car is their key to domination - or getting wiped out.

[kentvandervelden]

Recently I heard that if a pedestrian is hit at 40 mph their chances of surviving is 20% and if hit at 25 mph their chances are 80%. I mentioned this to back up the idea that even if the one second deceleration would not have prevented the death, the pedestrian's chances increase a lot.
Jeezzz... was the density of kangaroos shown in the example common?

[oOMonkeyMagicOo]

Not looking to appoint blame, but in the original vid, the person in the driver seat who I assume could override and activate the brake, did not seem very attentive to the road. I would assume the only job that person had sitting in that seat was to be ready to take charge of the brake! Just like a driving instructor would do if the driver was not paying due care!

[MrJamesonStyles]

They need to release the actual footage of what Uber's autonomous sensors were seeing at the time. This ropey dashcam footage, assuming it hasn't been altered to make the scene look much darker, just doesn't cut it, doesn't it show us how the sensors actually failed to detect the biker.

[NFreund]

That's exactly why Volvo, Mercedes and all the others have stated numerous times, that Self Driving is just not "safe" enough at the moment. The new Mercedes E-Class has way more equipment than a Tesla and still doesn't self drive, because there are situations, where the system will be overwhelmed.

[TheTimmy]

i don't think it's right to say that the one second that the mobileeye wouldn't have done anything. its possible that it could have reduced the speed enough to save the pedestrian

[olivierroy]

They kept the infrared light filter on. I can make any camera see in dark as good as in daylight. It's easy as removing the ir filter and readjust the settings. No shadow areas. Only thing is car lights could blind the camera. So maybe a night sensor would've been a good idea or using a different ir filter?

[justinbouchard]

The uber footage is obviously blacked out. Look at where the streetlight is shining in the uber footage. It's a black circle that is where the streetlight should be shining on the road.

[moose]

With this person killed by a driverless car that had a driver in the driver's seat, its very clear that if the car had been driverless going to pick someone up (for example), it's very clear that the car wouldn't have been able to render aid to the victim.

[WacKEDmaN]

hopefully this kills off uber...i mean if they are making self driving cars that have worse collision avoidance than the road car their built on then they dont belong in the AI/autonomous car business