General Motors patents system to protect autonomous vehicles from 'bullying'
What's the story
General Motors (GM) has patented a one-of-a-kind system to protect self-driving cars from the aggressive behavior of pedestrians and human drivers.
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently published GM's patent application called "Responses To Vulnerable Road User's Adversarial Behavior."
The system, as the name suggests, will utilize sensors, cameras, and machine learning (ML) algorithms to identify potential threats from pedestrians.
Threat detection
Analyzing movement patterns and proximity
The patented system by GM will analyze movement patterns and proximity of pedestrians to determine their intention toward the autonomous vehicles.
The patent document gives examples of aggressive behavior like deliberate right-of-way violations, sudden movements forcing a self-driving car to brake, tailgating by aggressive drivers, and even rude gestures or verbal provocations aimed at the vehicle.
Response mechanism
Differentiating between accidental and intentional actions
GM's system would differentiate between a pedestrian accidentally stepping onto the road and one deliberately challenging the car's braking system.
Upon detecting aggressive behavior, the system will enable the autonomous vehicle to respond appropriately.
The response could range from visual/audio warnings like honking or flashing lights, alerting authorities via a call center, handing over control to a passenger, or finding an alternate route.
Rising concerns
GM's patent comes amid rising incidents of autonomous vehicle vandalism
Notably, the patent comes at a time when we are seeing more and more reports of Waymo passengers getting trapped in their self-driving taxis while they are being vandalized.
In one case, a man even used the opportunity to ask a woman for her phone number.
This highlights the growing concern over the interaction between pedestrians and autonomous vehicles, and underlines the need for systems like the one patented by GM.