Volvo autonomous vehicles struggle to identify kangeroos on Australian roads

'When it's in the air it actually looks like it's further away, then it lands and it looks closer,' says Volvo's David Pickett

Volvo self-driving car technology struggles to identify kangeroos, according to the Swedish vehicle manufacturer.

Volvo's self-driving cars technology was more designed to identify deer, elk and moose for its Large Animal Detection System (LADS) used in its S90 and XC90 autonomous vehicles.

But when the technology was taking to Australia for testing, Volvo Australia's technical manager David Pickett admitted that the system struggled: "We've noticed with the kangaroo being in mid-flight ... when it's in the air it actually looks like it's further away, then it lands and it looks closer."

He continued: "First we have to start identifying the 'roo... We identify what a human looks like by how a human walks because it's not only the one type of human — you've got short people, tall people, people wearing coats. The same applies to a 'roo."

So far, Volvo scientists have spent 18 months on the 'roo conundrum, which it is vital to solve. There are already an estimated 16,000 kangeroo crashes in Australia every year and driverless cars are not going to be allowed on Australian roads if they make the problem worse.

It comes as Volvo has been named as one of three companies in a tie-in with graphics card maker Nvidia to improve self-driving vehicle technology. The GPU giant has signed a deal with Volkswagen, Volvo, ZF and Hella to bring better AI to self-driving cars.

It's going to be important as many Aussie roads are unmarked or have huge road trains from one end of the country to the other.

Nvidia confirms: "Volvo, Autoliv, Zenuity and Nvidia will work together to create systems that can utilise deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence, to recognise objects in their environment, anticipate potential threats and navigate safely."

"VW is cooperating with Nvidia to develop advanced AI systems with deep learning. Specialists are exploring possibilities to use deep learning in corporate processes and in the field of mobility services. For example, they are developing new procedures for optimising traffic flow in cities."

"ZF, one of the industry's largest automotive suppliers, and Hella, a leading tier one supplier of camera perception software and sensor technologies, will provide customers with a complete self-driving system that integrates front camera units, as well as supporting software functions and radar systems, using the NVIDIA DRIVE™ PX AI platform"

Nvidia already announced it was partnering with Toyota at its recent GTC event in California, a statement of intent towards the company's ongoing desire to excel in the field of autonomous cars.

Volvo has been working on its self-driving fleet with Uber, so it's not surprising that it's just announced a new partnership.