Waymo has created a new computer model designed to more accurately compare its autonomous driving software to human drivers. The model, developed in conjunction with TU Delft, uses a framework called active inference to simulate human driving behavior.
The new model will help Waymo better understand how humans behave in crash scenarios and improve the performance of its robotaxis. This development comes at a critical juncture for Waymo, which is scaling to more cities and facing greater scrutiny from regulators and the public.
Waymo is making the research code for the model available under an academic, non-commercial license, allowing others to collaborate and push the model further. The company believes this new model can be adapted to model a wide range of road user behaviors beyond collision avoidance.
