Teaching computers to understand images like humans!
When you look at a picture of a cat, your brain instantly knows it's a cat - you don't have to count whiskers or measure ears!
How do we teach a computer to do this?
We show millions of pictures of cats to a computer and say "THIS IS A CAT" over and over again!
Eventually, the computer learns to recognize cats on its own. This is called Machine Learning or AI (Artificial Intelligence)!
Click buttons to see what the car "sees"!
1. Traffic Signs 🛑
Cameras can read stop signs, speed limit signs, and even read "One Way" and "No Parking" signs!
2. Other Cars 🚗
The car can tell where other cars are and even tell if they're moving or stopped!
3. Pedestrians 🚶
Cameras can spot people walking and know if they're about to cross the street!
4. Lane Lines 🚘
The car can "see" the road lines and make sure it stays in its lane!
5. Traffic Lights 🚦
Red light? Green light? The camera knows!
A self-driving car's camera system is like having a teenager who studied driving for years!
Scientists trained the AI by showing it MILLIONS of images:
"Here are 100,000 pictures of stop signs - they're all stop signs!"
"Here are 100,000 pictures of pedestrians - they're all people!"
After seeing so many, the computer learns to recognize them super fast!
✅ Can read text and signs
Can understand what "STOP" means, not just see the shape
✅ Can tell colors apart
Knows the difference between a red light and green light
✅ Can recognize small details
Can see hand signals from construction workers!
✅ Cheaper than Lidar
Regular cameras are much less expensive than laser sensors!
❌ Can't measure distance well
Cameras see in 2D (flat), so it's hard to know how far away things are
❌ Bad at night
Hard to see things in the dark without good lighting
❌ Can be confused
Bright sun, shadows, or a plastic bag might look like a person!
❌ Needs good weather
Snow, heavy rain, or fog can block the view!
Each sensor has strengths and weaknesses:
📡 Radar: Sees far, measures speed, works in weather
🔦 Lidar: Creates 3D map, super accurate distance
📷 Cameras: Reads signs, sees colors, understands context
Together, they make a self-driving car safer than any human!