3D mapping - GM SuperCruise and Tesla AutoPilot (8.0/8.1)

[scottf200]

Interesting comparison of GM (vs customers) doing 3D mapping of the environment compared to the new Tesla AutoPilot in version 8.0/8.1. See underlines.

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First, the Cadillac CT6, the model on which the new system will be introduced, will not be able to activate Super Cruise unless it's on a highway that GM has exhaustively mapped through a 3D vision technology known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).
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Quote via: GM takes time on self-driving Super Cruise system to get it right

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The first part of solving that problem is having a more detailed point cloud. Software 8.0 unlocks access to six times as many radar objects with the same hardware with a lot more information per object.

The second part consists of assembling those radar snapshots, which take place every tenth of a second, into a 3D "picture" of the world. It is hard to tell from a single frame whether an object is moving or stationary or to distinguish spurious reflections. By comparing several contiguous frames against vehicle velocity and expected path, the car can tell if something is real and assess the probability of collision.

The third part is a lot more difficult. When the car is approaching an overhead highway road sign positioned on a rise in the road or a bridge where the road dips underneath, this often looks like a collision course. The navigation data and height accuracy of the GPS are not enough to know whether the car will pass under the object or not. By the time the car is close and the road pitch changes, it is too late to brake.

This is where fleet learning comes in handy. Initially, the vehicle fleet will take no action except to note the position of road signs, bridges and other stationary objects, mapping the world according to radar. The car computer will then silently compare when it would have braked to the driver action and upload that to the Tesla database. If several cars drive safely past a given radar object, whether Autopilot is turned on or off, then that object is added to the geocoded whitelist.
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Blog post: Upgrading Autopilot: Seeing the World in Radar
Press transcript 1 of 4: Transcript: Elon Musk’s press conference about Tesla Autopilot under v8.0 update [Part 1][/quote][/quote][/quote][/quote]

 

[techmaven]

That's really interesting. And limiting. What happens with changes?

 

[Saghost]

Interesting. The CT6 doesn't have LIDAR, right? I wonder how it will use the LIDAR generated map?

So far I'm thinking the Tesla approach is superior - more data in much less time, at lower cost, and more obvious immediate use for it.

 

[scottf200]

Interesting. The CT6 doesn't have LIDAR, right? I wonder how it will use the LIDAR generated map?

So far I'm thinking the Tesla approach is superior - more data in much less time, at lower cost, and more obvious immediate use for it.

It appears the Cadillac CT6 will just have a camera and radar and use preloaded 3-D maps. Comments below indicate the Mobileye camera based crowdsourced map for "changes on a route".

Below via: GM Reveals More About Supercruise | TheDetroitBureau.com

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The General Motors Supercruise system goes a step further. It compares the data from its own camera and radar with information contained in a highly detailed 3-D map. That’s far more accurate than the current, satellite GPS-based navigation systems of today, but it requires extensive new mapping of roads around the country using a laser-based system called LIDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging.

The camera system in GM vehicles is provided by Mobileye, a high-tech company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The two companies are planning to use the technology to crowdsource mapping. If there are any changes on a route already mapped by GM using its LIDAR system — such as detours or even temporary delays, such as a broken-down vehicle – that will be sent to the cloud and relayed to other vehicles in the area.

GM officials aren’t saying whether that feature will be activated by the time Supercruise makes its debut. But by using the extremely detailed LIDAR maps, vehicles will be able to follow a route with an accuracy of less than 10 inches.

It will also allow so-called “geo-fencing.” Only when the vehicle is driving on roads mapped with the LIDARsystem and considered safe for semi-autonomous driving will Supercruise be activated.
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