Google's new self-driving car skill: three-point turn

There is a test item in the US driver's license test called three-point turn, which is to drive the car forward, backward and then forward again on the road to turn. The engineers of Google's self-driving car team have also been working to improve the car's ability to turn, reverse and turn around in a narrow space. According to recent news, they seem to have succeeded.

In its latest monthly report on its self-driving car project, Google pointed out that human drivers in this situation usually use their experience to estimate the best angle and distance, and then move back and forth repeatedly to gradually achieve a turn in a small space.

Google's self-driving cars are equipped with many sensors and powerful computing capabilities, allowing the car to have a clear view of the surrounding environment and measure distances with accuracy to the centimeter level. Therefore, the car can complete a turn as quickly as possible without having to move back and forth repeatedly like human drivers.

Google says the self-driving car can do more than just a few standard turns, and the team has taught it how to handle special situations, like dead ends filled with parked cars and streets lined with trash cans.

In order for self-driving cars to learn this technology, they have to practice thousands of times on city roads every week.

Google also said that in order to make the steering of self-driving cars look more natural and less abrupt, engineers have reprogrammed the on-board system so that the car can imitate the steering patterns commonly used by humans when driving as much as possible.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.