needs to know what's around it. Based on these factors, it needs to be able to make smart

也必須知道周遭有甚麼 除此之外 它還得要夠聰明

and safe driving decisions in the real world. And once you get in the car, you start to

才能在現實世界中做出安全的駕駛決定 當你坐上這台車

get a real feel for the way the technology works and what it's like in real driving situations.

你將感受到科技的原理與真實的駕駛情況

So there are a few things that have to happen before the car can start safely drive itself.

在車輛能夠安全地自動駕駛之前 必須先達到這幾個條件

First, it has to figure out its location in the world. So we use GPS, but GPS isn't always

首先 它得找到自己身處何處 為此我們使用了全球定位系統(GPS)

that accurate, which is why we rely on our other sensors, like the laser, which picks

但GPS並不是永遠都那麼準確 這也是為什麼我們也同時依賴其他的感應器 像是雷射

up on details in the environment that help us identify a more precise location.

它能幫助我們認出更為精確的地點位置

So think of the sensors as the car's eyes and ears. But with eyes that can see far off

你可以將這些感應器想做是車子的眼睛與耳朵

into the distance and 360 degrees around the car. And the great thing about having all

不過它能看到非常遠的距離 而且視界達到三百六十度

of these sensors is that they can talk to each other and get cross-checked information

擁有這麼多感應器的好處在於 它們會與彼此交叉檢驗環境的資訊

about the environment. So while we take in a ton of information using our sensors, it's

當我們的感應器蒐集一堆資料的同時

our software that really processes all this and differentiates between objects.

我們的軟體是處理這些資訊 分辨不同物件的幕後功臣

All these objects are visible on the laptop that the safety drivers use while testing the vehicles.

當測試這些車輛時 這些物件都會顯示在安全駕駛者的筆記型電腦上

Based on what the vehicle senses and processes, these objects will be represented by different

根據車輛感知與處理而來的資訊 這些物件會由不同顏色的盒子表現

colored boxes. Cyclists will be red, pedestrians yellow, and the vehicles will appear as either

腳踏車騎士是紅色 行人是黃色 車輛則會以綠色或是粉紅色來呈現

green or pink. These boxes demonstrate the processing that takes place within the software.

螢幕上的這些盒子展現了軟體的處理成果

And think about the complexity here. People look different, cars have different shapes

想想這背後的複雜性吧 人的外表各異 車輛也有各式各樣的外型與大小

and sizes. Yet despite these nuances, the software needs to classify these objects appropriately

儘管有這些細微差異 軟體仍要根據物體的形狀、移動模式或位置

based on factors like their shape, movement pattern, or location.

以正確地分辨不同的物件

For example, if there's a cyclist in the bike lane, the vehicle understands that this is

舉例來說 如果腳踏車行進在腳踏車上 自動駕駛車就知道那是一架腳踏車

a cyclist, not another object like a car or a pedestrian, so the cyclist appears as a

而不是其他的車子或是行人 所以腳踏車就會以紅色盒子的形式顯示在螢幕上

red box on the safety driver's laptop. And the software can also detect the cyclist's

這個軟體也能夠感測到腳踏車騎士的手勢

hand signal and yield to them appropriately. When our engineers think about where the car

並根據手勢做出相應的動作 當工程師想著車子的目標與如何到達目的地時

should drive and how, safety is always the top priority. So the vehicle takes into account

安全永遠排在第一位 所以自動駕駛車會將很多因素納入考量

many things, like how close it is to other objects, or matching speed with traffic, or

像是與其他物體的距離 或是要與車流的速度相同

anticipating other cars cutting in. For example, as a passenger, it can feel a

或者是預期其他車子來超車 再舉個例子

little uncomfortable passing by a large vehicle on the road. Our engineers have taught the

作為乘客 與大型車輛擦身而過時總令我們心神不寧

software to detect the large vehicles and the laptop shows them as larger boxes on screen.

軟體會感測到大型車輛 並將其以較大盒子的形式顯示在螢幕上

As our vehicle passes by a large truck, it will actually keep to the farther side of

當我們的自動駕駛車經過大卡車時 它會往道路的另外一邊靠

the lane and give ourselves a little bit more space. And, we've also taught the vehicle

讓我們有更多的空間

to recognize and navigate through construction zones. The vehicle's sensors can spot the

自動駕駛車也會辨認並行駛過施工路段

orange signs and cones early to alert the car of any lane blockage ahead, and then we

車輛感應器能探測橘色號誌與三角錐 提早提醒前方的車道封鎖

can change lanes safely. Another thing that's really important is for

我們就可以安全地換一個車道行駛

the vehicle to drive in a naturalistic way, because when it's natural, and the car abides

另外一個重要之處再於 自動駕駛車以自然的方式行駛

by social norms on the road, it's also safer. For example, at four-way stops, people typically

因為當車輛遵照社會常態的方式行進在路上時 也就會安全許多

rely on eye contact to communicate whose turn it is. And in our case, the vehicle inches

舉例來說 在十字路口人們通常以眼神交會 來溝通表達該換誰過

forward into the intersection to indicate its intent.

當一台車往前幾吋進入交叉路口時 表示出他想通過的意圖

So, my role as a safety driver is first and foremost to keep the car, myself, and everyone

而我身為一個安全駕駛 最優先最重要的任務就是保護車輛、我自己和其他周遭人的安全

around me safe. And in addition to keeping the car safe, I also provide detailed feedback

除了安全之外 我還要向自動駕駛車研發者提出細節的回報

to the developers and let them know if the car does anything that maybe I wouldn't have

讓他們知道自動駕駛車可能做了些我個人不會做的事情

done personally. Maybe the car wasn't assertive enough in a lane change, or wasn't fast enough

這些事情可能是車輛換道不夠堅決 或是通過綠燈時速度不夠快

at a green light. We provide the detailed feedback so they can fine-tune the whole driving

研發者們根據鉅細靡遺的回報做微調 以改善整體的駕駛經驗

experience. By getting out there and driving in the real

當我們在真實路況上駕駛的時候

world, we're getting a better understanding of what exactly it's going to take to improve

我們更能了解究竟該如何提高安全性

the safety and comfort and ease of transportation. And that's really what our project's all about.

以及增進交通運輸的舒適性 這些就是我們計畫的目的