Driverless Shuttle Buses Take to the Snowy Test Tracks of Minnesota

"Winter driving in Minnesota presents some challenges for the technology underpinning autonomous vehicles, much of it being developed by companies in temperate Silicon Valley, and tested in sunnier climes," reports Greta Kaul.

There's a test to prove it too. As Kaul reports, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is testing an autonomous shuttle bus affectionately nicknamed "Minnie," at a facility near Albertville. Conditions in Minnesota and other northern states will determine the future feasibility of autonomous vehicles. "It’s important, [Minnesota Department of Transportation officials] say, that conditions like snow, salt-caked cars and black ice are considered by both manufacturers and policymakers as cars start to drive themselves."

So far, Minnie has encountered difficulties with snowbound conditions. For instance, road salt blocks sensors. 3M "is working with MnDOT on the shuttle project, is helping to develop films that protects the sensors," according to Kaul. There's also falling snow: "LIDAR is a very sophisticated form of technology, but it can be foiled by precipitation," explains Kaul. Snow is a particularly good reflector of infrared laser light, too.