Volvo recently found that its self-driving cars cannot recognize kangaroos, because their manner of movement is different from other large animals.
Speaking with ABC Australia, Volvo Australia’s technical manager David Pickett said the animal’s hopping throws off the car’s animal detection system. “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,” Pickett said.
The system has been tested with other wildlife, and has been proven to identify animals like elk and moose. The cars detect animals by using the ground as a reference point in order to determine an object’s distance. When exposed to a kangaroo’s hopping, though, they become “confused.”
According to a 2016 report generated by insurance provider AAMI, kangaroos cause more accidents than any other animal in Australia, accounting for nine out of 10 animal-related collisions.