Driver disguised like a seat was for Ford’s self-driving car research

That man who dressed as a car seat to make it look like he was in a self-driving car last year was, in fact, not a terrible Halloween costume, but part of a study for Ford’s self-driving cars. 

At the time, pesky reporters quickly uncovered that the disguised driver was with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Now we also know that that covert driving attire was to help Ford’s self-driving car team shape a “common language” for cars to “talk” to pedestrians and other people on the road.

This all came out this week when Ford released its self-driving safety report, in which it explained how the “simulated” autonomous experiences with the disguised driver in a seat suit led to its windshield light bar, which lights up with different patterns to show what it the car is doing. A back-and-forth white light means the car is yielding. When the car is about to go, the white light quickly blinks. Ford said it’s trying to find a way to communicate that doesn’t use text.

Once cars are machine-driven, any pedestrian-driver communication gets a lot harder. So how does a woman walking or a kid biking check in with a car to know it’s safe to cross the street? That’s where Ford’s “language” comes in. Ford’s been testing the light bar for more than 180 hours and in 2,300 miles in urban areas — that’s a lot of time in that suit.

Along with details on the light bar to communicate vehicle “intent,” Ford laid out its plans to manufacture a Level 4 self-driving car in 2021 — not for purchase but to use in fleets for ride-hailing or deliveries. It’s already testing autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid sedans in Miami, Florida; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Dearborn, Michigan. The vehicles all have two safety operators inside while the vehicle is in autonomous mode. 

Its autonomous delivery program kicked off earlier this year in Miami with Postmates and Domino’s Pizza. Initial findings in the report showed that many customers chose a self-driving delivery method, maybe for the novelty. Customers reported that they liked having audio instructions about how to get their pizza out of the car, something like a talking car. Many people responded to the car and said bye after dropping off the pizza.

Ford is working with software partner Argo AI, and   explained that Argo has a training program for safety operators that starts with simpler stuff like accelerating and braking and just getting used to testing areas. This is like Uber’s revamped self-driving program, which is starting back at manual mode. 

Ford and Argo’s safety training then moves on to more advanced training, like car control drills, and then takes on autonomous mode. The report reiterated how important safety operators are in testing: “We believe safety operators play a critical role in the event of an error or malfunction. Their training is a core feature of our overall system safety.” The fatal Uber crash was discussed in the report without being mentioned by name — it was obvious that was what they were talking about. 

The report also overviewed what would happen if a self-driving car got into a major crash. Ford said its system would call 911, turn on hazard lights, log crash data, connect a service representative to talk to passengers, see how bad of a crash it is, and from there decide next steps. 

Raphael Gindrat, co-founder of autonomous fleet system service Bestmile, said in a phone call that safety perception and acceptance of self-driving vehicles go hand-in-hand. That’s why self-driving companies are spending a lot to develop interfaces inside the vehicle — not just outside with pedestrians and bicyclists — to reassure and talk to people inside the robot cars. “It’s another way to explain how this technology works,” Gindrat said. 

Sure enough, Ford is working on its “human machine interface,” which includes a mobile app and a touchscreen and digital voice inside the car. Passengers will press a button on a screen when they are ready to go, it said. Information from the car will be displayed on that screen, such as the destination or route and reminders to put on your seatbelt.

Passengers will be able to request a stop at the push of a button, and if something breaks down, the car will tell passengers what’s going on or call a service rep to talk to riders. Once passengers get where they are going, Ford envisions riders pushing a button to end a ride or asking for some extra time to take out groceries or help kids get out of the car. 

Using all this seat suit and self-delivered pizza data, Ford’s hoping to have its self-driving system ready for the road in three years.