Kangaroos confusing autonomous vehicles

Volvo Australia is discovering a unique problem as it begins to test autonomous vehicles in Australia – it seems the way kangaroos move is confusing the car’s detection system, ABC Australia reports.
July 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

609 Volvo Australia is discovering a unique problem as it begins to test autonomous vehicles in Australia – it seems the way kangaroos move is confusing the car’s detection system, ABC Australia reports.

Volvo’s large animal detection software can recognise animals such as moose, but the company’s researchers are still solving the kangaroo problem. The cars detect animals by using the ground as a reference point in order to determine an object’s distance. When exposed to a kangaroo’s hopping, though, they become ‘confused’.

Volvo Australia's technical manager David Pickett told ABC that the animal’s hopping throws off the car’s animal detection system. "We've noticed with the kangaroo being in mid-flight ... when it's in the air it actually looks like it's further away, then it lands and it looks closer," Pickett said.

Australia's National Roads and Motorists' Association says 80 per cent of animal collisions in the country involve kangaroos.

In addition to difficulties detecting kangaroos, the cars will need to be adjusted for a few other Australian quirks before they are rolled out. Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative executive director Rita Excell said Australia's many unsealed roads, its unmarked highways, and the huge road trains on regional highways were among the challenges.

According to managing director of Volvo Australia, Kevin McCann, the discovery is part of the development and testing of driverless technology and wouldn’t pose problems by the time Volvo’s driverless cars would be available in 2020.

Location Based Systems

Related Content

  • November 5, 2013
    Canada tests animal detectors
    In an effort to reduce collisions caused by deer, moose, elk and caribou in Ontario, the highway ministry’s eastern region is now testing sophisticated motion-detection systems that flash a warning to motorists only when animals are on or near the highway.
    Read More
  • June 2, 2022
    Supply chain issues: AGD looks ahead
    There are multiple causes for current global supply chain issues – and this isn’t likely to improve in the near future. Ian Hind of ITS manufacturer AGD Systems spells out how to mitigate the impact
    Read More
  • January 20, 2012
    Sound synthesis makes hybrid and electric vehicles safer
    The growing popularity of hybrids and electric vehicles gives rise to new safety issues in urban environments, as many of the aural cues associated with engine noise can be missing. The solution is to intelligently make vehicles noisier. The rise in popularity of hybrids and Electric Vehicles (EVs) is a result of environmental pressures, shifts in taxation and emerging technologies for batteries and motors. Competition among the car manufacturers means these vehicles need to be cost effective to buy and ope
    Read More
  • August 3, 2015
    Europe-bound drivers fail numbers test
    With almost six million of the UK’s motorists expected to head to Europe before the end of 2015, new survey by RAC European Breakdown exposes Britons' ignorance of what to do if in distress on overseas roads. It found that most drivers can't name the European Union (EU)-wide three-digit number to call in emergencies. Only 38% know the correct answer is 112. Worryingly, 10 per cent think the normal UK 111 non-emergency NHS line extends its reach throughout the EU. A further 6 per cent confuse their contin
    Read More

Highlighted Content