Google's self-driving cars are more cautious around kids
If you've got spawn traipsing through the streets of Mountain View in search of sweets tonight, you needn't fear Google's self-driving cars... much. While there's something a little unsettling about an autonomous car -- even a cute one -- coming at you on Halloween, Google says they're at least programmed to act differently around children. In the days leading up to this most creepy of holidays, the company's self-driving car team had parents trot their tots in front of parked vehicles to give their sensors and software more experience detecting "children in all their unique shapes and sizes, even when they're in odd costumes". Good idea -- your author used to dart in the street for really no reason at all, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Google's cars are already "jittery" in their cautiousness, but a little extra practice couldn't hurt, especially when they're still not great with people on bikes.
