Skip to main content

Lyft is using data from its ride-share drivers to develop self-driving cars

Lyft is using data collected from drivers on its ride-hailing app to accelerate the development of self-driving cars.

Lyft’s Level 5 self-driving car program is using the data to build 3D maps, understand human driving patterns and improve simulation tests — all tools needed to push their autonomous vehicle technology forward, according to a blog posted Tuesday.

The program is taking data from select vehicles in its Express Drive program, which provides rental cars and SUVs to drivers on its platform as an alternative to options like long-term leasing.

These Express Drive vehicles are equipped with forward-facing camera sensors to collect the data. Level 5 also collects data from its autonomous vehicles in Palo Alto as well as the safety cars that follow its AV when they’re testing on public roads. Every driver in the program receives a one-page disclosure detailing information about the camera and the data being collected, a Lyft spokesperson told TechCrunch. The camera isn’t linked to the driver in any way, it’s forward facing and doesn’t collect audio, the spokesperson added.

Technology developed by Blue Vision Labs, which Lyft acquired in 2018, is used to convert that rideshare driver data into city-scale 3D geometric maps.

“While mapping operations teams can build 3D geometric maps for AVs, keeping them up-to-date and scaling their scope is a challenge,” Lyft’s head of AV research Peter Ondruska, engineering manager Luca Del Pero and product manager Hugo Grimmett wrote in a blog post Tuesday. “We’ve mapped thousands of miles thanks to the wide geographic coverage of the cars on our network. We’re able to continuously update our maps based on a constant stream of data that is immediately logged when a ride is completed.”

Lyft maps

Image Credits: Lyft

The cameras also help collect data on scenarios that drivers face daily. Those scenarios are then used to make Lyft’s simulations more sophisticated and realistic.

The Level 5 team also use visual localization technology to track the trajectory that Lyft drivers follow on the road. That trajectory information is then used to help Lyft’s AV maintain the best location in their lane, which isn’t always to remain centered.



from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3fKjW5c
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Silent Revolution of On-Device AI: Why the Cloud Is No Longer King

Introduction For years, artificial intelligence has meant one thing: the cloud. Whether you’re asking ChatGPT a question, editing a photo with AI tools, or getting recommendations on Netflix — those decisions happen on distant servers, not your device. But that’s changing. Thanks to major advances in silicon, model compression, and memory architecture, AI is quietly migrating from giant data centres to the palm of your hand. Your phone, your laptop, your smartwatch — all are becoming AI engines in their own right. It’s a shift that redefines not just how AI works, but who controls it, how private it is, and what it can do for you. This article explores the rise of on-device AI — how it works, why it matters, and why the cloud’s days as the centre of the AI universe might be numbered. What Is On-Device AI? On-device AI refers to machine learning models that run locally on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or edge device — without needing constant access to the cloud. In practi...
1 comment
Read more

Apple’s AI Push: Everything We Know About Apple Intelligence So Far

Apple’s WWDC 2025 confirmed what many suspected: Apple is finally making a serious leap into artificial intelligence. Dubbed “Apple Intelligence,” the suite of AI-powered tools, enhancements, and integrations marks the company’s biggest software evolution in a decade. But unlike competitors racing to plug AI into everything, Apple is taking a slower, more deliberate approach — one rooted in privacy, on-device processing, and ecosystem synergy. If you’re wondering what Apple Intelligence actually is, how it works, and what it means for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you’re in the right place. This article breaks it all down.   What Is Apple Intelligence? Let’s get the terminology clear first. Apple Intelligence isn’t a product — it’s a platform. It’s not just a chatbot. It’s a system-wide integration of generative AI, machine learning, and personal context awareness, embedded across Apple’s OS platforms. Think of it as a foundational AI layer stitched into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Max Q: Galactic

Hello and welcome back to Max Q! Happy Memorial Day everyone. In this issue: Astranis’ novel approach to GEO satellites Virgin Galactic’s return to the skies News from SpaceX, and more Astranis’ novel approach to internet satellites is starting to pay off Astranis , a satellite internet startup based in San Francisco, said Wednesday that its first spacecraft completed a milestone test and will start bringing broadband access to rural Alaskans as soon as mid-June. It’s a major step for the company, which was founded in 2015 by John Gedmark and Ryan McLinko. By taking a first principles approach to satellite development, the pair bet that they could make a smaller, cheaper spacecraft for geosynchronous orbit — the orbit farthest from Earth and arguably the most inhospitable — and use them to bring internet to millions, or even billions, of people around the globe. Their bet is paying off: The company’s first satellite, Arcturus, launched on a Falcon Heavy at the end of April. W...
Post a Comment
Read more