Researchers give driverless cars better cooperation skills

In the EPFL's scheme, vehicles can travel together as a convoy that doesn't have any particular "leader." Rather, they work as a group with other vehicles in the near vicinity, sharing GPS, laser, video camera and other sensor data via WiFi. That way, each vehicle can take advantage of its neighbor's "eyes" to sense hazardous situations and better coordinate their movements. The system is managed by special algorithms that allow cars "to work together and achieve complex group behavior," says researcher Alcherio Martinoli. That allows the convoy to reorganize and adapt when vehicles join the group, change lanes or exit.