Autonomous vehicles are revolutionizing the way we think about transportation, but what happens when they encounter extreme weather conditions like a massive tornado? This is just one of the scenarios that Waymo, a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, can simulate in its new “hyper realistic” virtual world created with the help of Google’s DeepMind. Using Genie 3, Google’s AI world model, Waymo is able to generate interactive 3D environments specifically tailored for the challenges of autonomous driving.
Simulation plays a crucial role in the development of autonomous vehicles, allowing developers to test their vehicles in a wide range of scenarios without any physical risk to passengers or pedestrians. Waymo uses its virtual world to run through various edge cases, such as a snow-covered Golden Gate Bridge, a flooded suburban cul-de-sac, a neighborhood on fire, or even an encounter with a rogue elephant. In each scenario, Waymo’s robotaxi’s lidar sensors create a detailed 3D rendering of the environment, including any obstacles in the road.
The Waymo World Model is capable of generating a wide range of scenes, from everyday driving situations to rare and complex scenarios. With features like driving action control, scene layout control, and language control, developers can simulate different driving conditions and customize road layouts to test the vehicle’s capabilities in challenging environments. This level of flexibility is essential for preparing the Waymo Driver for any situation it may encounter on the road.
One of the unique features of the Waymo World Model is its ability to transform real-world dashcam footage into a simulated environment for highly realistic testing. This allows developers to recreate actual driving scenarios with a high degree of accuracy and detail. Additionally, the model can create longer simulated scenes that run at increased speed without compromising image quality or processing power.
“By simulating the ‘impossible,’ we proactively prepare the Waymo Driver for some of the most rare and complex scenarios,” Waymo states in a blog post. With the ability to test the vehicle in a wide range of challenging scenarios, Waymo is confident in the capabilities of its autonomous driving technology and its ability to safely navigate any situation on the road.