NEWS: Waymo has announced that their 6th-generation hardware will now begin fully autonomous driving without a human behind the wheel. Waymo: "At the core of this system is our next-gen 17 megapixel imager (cameras), a breakthrough in automotive vision technology. This high-resolution sensor captures millions of data points for incredibly sharp images while offering exceptional thermal stability across automotive conditions. These imagers allow the Waymo Driver to see around the vehicle with fewer cameras than if we used 5 or 8-megapixel sensors. The result is a system a generation ahead of other automotive cameras in terms of resolution, dynamic range, and low-light sensitivity. Our 6th-generation lidar leverages the significant cost reductions the industry has seen over the last five years, especially as affordable lidar increasingly appears in consumer vehicles. We have developed a system that sees at greater distances with better fidelity and higher robustness, all at a cost profile optimized for expansion. Strategically placed short-range lidars provide redundant coverage to our cameras. Our next-generation radar builds on the foundation of the 5th-generation Waymo Driver, using new in-house algorithms to deliver improved performance in rain or snow. This 6th-generation system maximizes the benefit of sensor fusion by leveraging lightweight, powerful machine-learned models to extract maximum information from each sensor and dynamically optimize the performance of every sensing component. To complement our visual sensors, the Waymo Driver has long utilized several external audio receivers, or EARs, that help the Driver detect important sounds on the road, such as approaching emergency vehicles and railroad crossings, and respond accordingly. The Driver’s EARs are strategically placed around the central perception dome to optimize its ability to hear sirens and localize where the sounds are coming from while reducing the amount of wind noise it is susceptible to, especially at high speeds. Our versatile hardware approach allows us to reconfigure our sensors  and generalize our AI to meet each platform's unique needs—whether it is the Ojai or the Hyundai IONIQ 5. This latest system serves as the primary engine for our next era of expansion, with a streamlined configuration that drives down costs. Designed for long-term growth across multiple vehicle platforms, this system’s expanded capabilities allow us to safely broaden our footprint into more diverse environments, including those with extreme winter weather, at an even greater scale."