Self-Driving Cars Could Be Fooled Into Dangerous Manoeuvres By Anyone With A Handful Of Stickers

Simple research is suggesting that even common graffiti or stickers on road signs can make self-driving cars misread them, potentially making them behave unpredictably or even dangerously
Self-Driving Cars Could Be Fooled Into Dangerous Manoeuvres By Anyone With A Handful Of Stickers

Autonomous cars could be made to behave unpredictably by simply putting stickers or graffiti on road signs, if new research is correct.

Boffins at the University of Washington carried out some simple tests on an unnamed manufacturer’s autonomous driving software, having previously hacked into it, with results suggesting that even basic changes or additions to signs can make the car completely misinterpret them.

Image: University of Washington
Image: University of Washington

The ultimate point being made by the researchers is that if digital crims gain access to an autonomous car’s brain, and let’s be honest: they can and will, then they can learn how to trick it. In one of the university’s tests they placed ‘love’ and ‘hate’ stickers on a ‘stop’ sign, causing the car to misread it as a 45mph speed limit sign.

Another example saw the black arrow on a ‘turn right’ sign fogged out in a pixelated grey-white. The car saw nothing of the sort, having convinced itself it was looking at a ‘stop’ sign.

Image: University of Washington
Image: University of Washington

Cars are already on the road with technology that can read and respond to road signs, most specifically for speed. If such a car hits the brakes apparently randomly, thinking it has seen a lower speed limit sign and needs to adjust, unsuspecting drivers behind could end up in all sorts of trouble.

While the likes of Elon Musk will likely have a response up their sleeves, the results of this study suggest there’s a long way to go before machines can match the complex reasoning powers of the human brain, even if that brain is disguised as a seat.

Already, Volvo has apparently found it almost impossible to design software to avoid kangaroo collisions in Australia, while according to reports, Waymo has had to develop tiny windscreen wipers to clean bird crap off cameras and sensor arrays that would otherwise go blind…

Via: The Telegraph

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Comments

Conor Roberts

Soo no stickerbombs?

08/08/2017 - 18:03 |
4 | 0

Or Rice
Well thank God for that

08/08/2017 - 18:05 |
6 | 1
Anonymous

Can it be fooled into drifting?

insert eurobeat

08/08/2017 - 18:05 |
109 | 0
Tomislav Celić

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

NANI???

Autonomous dorfitoo????

  • Keisuke Takashi 2030
08/08/2017 - 18:06 |
48 | 1
SAVAGE DOGG (Ping-Pong Gang) (Corvette Squad)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Nah, you’d have to override the safety features, turn the b*tch switch (TC) off and the automatic stabilizer. Voila, you’re semi autonomously going sideways!

*Beat Of The Rising Sun plays off of the laptop that hacked the car

08/08/2017 - 18:47 |
17 | 1
Velstyde

You cant make an autonomous car. You just cant. Theres way too many possible situations to predict with written software, I mean, just about anything can happen. Or can any of you picture an autonomous car driving in russia?

08/08/2017 - 18:07 |
37 | 0
Tomislav Celić

In reply to by Velstyde

As a developer

THIS!!!!

08/08/2017 - 18:12 |
11 | 3

It might work in a city if ALL the cars are self-driving and the roads are specifically designed for self-driving cars. But even then it would be a challenge.

Looks like us petrolheads are safe :D

08/08/2017 - 19:44 |
3 | 0

You can’t make a perfect autonomous car. But you can make one that has a far lower rate of accidents than humans.
And I am convinced that AI research and sensor technologies will make autonomous cars very safe.
In a world where only autonomius cars would be driving (no human interference) I reckon they could get as safe as airplanes.

08/08/2017 - 20:14 |
4 | 2

That’s not how you make an artificial intelligence at all. You don’t hard code any possible event, that’s just stupid. If you want some knowledge about it, read a bit about deep learning. Wikipedia will do fine.

08/08/2017 - 20:58 |
2 | 0

A well trained AI could adapt to the roads of Russia faster and safer than you can. I’m not gonna say Neural Network, because that seems to be the same kind of AI that is used to read signs and they can be fooled easily but a more raw reactive agent, or even better an objective-guided one since that can also be proactive, with a bit of search algorithms to help predict where the safest open route will be, could probably power its way through piles of drifting 18-wheelers and spinning Ladas flawlessly like a rally driver.

08/09/2017 - 04:02 |
0 | 0
🇯🇵WP

What’s even the point of Self driving cars, just to take up space on the road, does it just drive in circles

08/08/2017 - 18:19 |
1 | 4

It doesn’t drive in circles, they just drive into things

08/08/2017 - 19:00 |
3 | 0
Aaron 15

Don’t sell them in the U.K. then 😂😂

08/08/2017 - 18:44 |
3 | 0
CAElite

I think the idea of a self driving car that works everywhere really is unrealistic for the foreseeable future. However with a good lane assist and radar guided cruise you can easily make a car that will sit on the motorway all day long, which, let’s be honest, is the most useful application for self driving tech.

08/08/2017 - 20:44 |
8 | 0
Anonymous

Ha! Laz3 f*ks.s get clean out of the roads

08/08/2017 - 21:16 |
5 | 1
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Every downvote is a lazy driver lel

08/08/2017 - 21:41 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

One thing you cant make is common sense.

08/08/2017 - 21:44 |
1 | 0
Gites

Like these stickers?

08/08/2017 - 22:33 |
5 | 0
Daksh Pat

honestly, if people can’t drive cars then they shouldnt be buying them, IMO someone who buys an autonomous car says to everyone that they don’t care about driving, and want to get from A to B with the least amount of input. If they wanted to do that why didn’t they use public transit, or get a uber, maybe it’s just because we get lazy from time to time.

08/09/2017 - 00:10 |
1 | 0