Driverless cars could be stopped in their tracks by solar storms

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Driverless cars could be stopped in their tracks by solar storms, experts say

• Space weather is known to disrupt satellites and communication systems
• Experts say these issues could one day extend to driverless cars reliant on GPS
• Powerful storms could force them to pull over and wait for connection to return 

 

A solar storm earlier this week was generated late last week by holes in the sun's outermost magnetic layer, known as its corona. It was ranked a G1 storm

 

 

Autonomous technology is touted to be the future of driving.

Experts in the field claim it could be safer and more efficient than having humans behind the wheel – but, it might prove no match for the forces of nature.

This week’s solar storm has served as a reminder that driverless cars have their limitations, too.

Scientists say driverless cars, if designed in a way that’s too reliant on GPS, may suffer complications during powerful space weather events, making it difficult to carry out their functions as intended.

According to Scott McIntosh, director of the high-altitude observatory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, engineers must prepare driverless cars for changes in solar activity.

If they’re too reliant on GPS to get to their destinations, they’ll be unable to do so if a solar storm disrupts the connection, causing them to all have to pull over and wait it out, the expert told Bloomberg.

Magnetic particles from coronal holes could also cause disruptions.

Still, AI experts say the cars are built with redundancies that could help out even in times of poor connection.

‘With very detailed measurements like lane changes and bike lanes, you don’t have time to take all this data and send it up to the cloud and back,’ Danny Shapiro, senior director of the automotive unit at Nvidia, told Bloomberg.

‘You go to the cloud when you’re asking, ‘Hey, what’s the fastest route to Starbucks.’

 This week, the NOAA warned of a small effects to communications systems that could be caused by a recent solar storm. 

 

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