• Waymo has introduced their sixth-generation autonomous driving system.
  • It features a new sensor suite, which is cheaper but more capable.
  • The latest system can now travel in snow thanks to new sensor cleaning capabilities.

Waymo has introduced their sixth-generation autonomous driving system, which promises to be smarter, cheaper, and more capable than its predecessors. This should improve safety, while also enabling vehicles to travel in new environments.

Starting with the sensor suite, the sixth-generation Waymo Driver has 13 cameras, six radars, four lidar sensors, and an assortment of external audio receivers. These are “optimized for greater performance at a significantly reduced cost, without compromising safety.” In particular, Waymo said the latest system provides overlapping fields of view all around the vehicle and can detect objects up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) away.

More: Waymo’s Driverless Cars Are 6.7 Times Safer Than Humans

Thanks to strategic sensor placement as well as advancements in sensor tech and machine-learned models, Waymo was able to use less sensors than previous generations. Despite this, less really is more as the company noted the cameras are higher resolution and the technology can now see at a greater distance.

More interestingly, the sixth-generation Waymo Driver benefits from new sensor cleaning capabilities. This will enable vehicles to travel autonomously even in snow. This is an important development and the company said the latest system enables them to swap out “various sensing components to match the specific conditions of each operating environment,” such as cold climates.

Waymo’s Vice President of Engineering, Satish Jeyachandran, said “Through regular road trips to newer cities, we’ve deepened our understanding of winter weather’s impact on our technology and operations and applied these valuable insights directly to our 6th-generation system. For example, since our vehicles are exposed to the elements for long periods without manual intervention, we implemented preventive measures for each sensor to maintain a clear view of its surroundings whether it’s driving through a buggy Texas road or operating in freezing temperatures.”

While Waymo just introduced the new system, the company said the sensor suite has already logged thousands of miles of real-world testing as well as millions more in simulation.