Auto-Cleaning System Keeps Self-Driving Cars Safer

May-20-17 Waymo has developed an automatic bird poop removal system to help keep self-driving cars in the clear.

Airplanes are not the only vehicles at risk from bird interference. The spinning lidar on the roof of the autonomous vehicle can become obscured by bird droppings, blocking the 360-view sensors and interfering with the car’s ‘vision.’ To help keep the vehicles seeing clearly, Waymo has developed sensors in the car that will detect bird dropping, triggering small sprays of water and a pair of wipers that clean the lidar dome, much like wipers clear a windshield.

Inconsiderate birds are one of the many details auto-driving car manufacturers are tackling on their way to commercial viability.

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