Name: Look Who's Driving
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Nova

To test self-driving cars without putting lives at risk, most companies do a lot of their training in environments they can fully control. But ultimately, the only way to know how a car will perform on public roads is to test it in the real world.

Driverless cars are being tested in private and public spaces.

Testing Self-Driving Cars in the Real World

To match human drivers, an automated vehicle needs to learn how to handle three distinct tasks: seeing everything around the car, understand what it’s seeing, and planning the car’s path.

There’s a lot going on ‘under the hood’ of a self-driving car.

Three Tasks Driverless Cars Need to Learn

After years of anticipation, autonomous vehicles are now being tested on public roads around the world. As ambitious innovators race to develop what they see as the next high-tech pot of gold, some experts warn there are still daunting challenges ahead, including how to train artificial intelligence to be better than humans at making life-and-death decisions. How do self-driving cars work?

As self-driving cars take to the streets, investigate how they work, and if they are safe.

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After years of anticipation, autonomous vehicles are now being tested on public roads around the world. As ambitious innovators race to develop what they see as the next high-tech pot of gold, some experts warn there are still daunting challenges ahead, including how to train artificial intelligence to be better than humans at making life-and-death decisions. How do self-driving cars work? How close are we to large-scale deployment of them? And will we ever be able to trust AI with our lives? (Premiered October 23, 2019)

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As self-driving cars take to the streets, investigate how they work, and if they are safe.

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As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA explores its little-known risks and benefits.

The Cannabis Question

A 2006 composite image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Telescope shows the chaos of baby stars in the Orion nebula some 1,500 light-years away. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI

With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble era is gradually drawing to a close. Here are some highlights from the countless wonders Hubble has shown us during its 31 years in space.

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A statue of Zheng He at the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Java, Indonesia. Image Credit: Budianto Santosa, Shutterstock

In the 1400s, Zheng He sailed thousands of miles around Asia and Africa in ships the size of soccer fields, spreading Chinese innovations like compasses and gunpowder in the process.

Look Who's Driving

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Look Who's Driving

Ethics and Self-Driving Cars

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Three Tasks Driverless Cars Need to Learn

Testing Self-Driving Cars in the Real World

The Self-Driving Uber Crash—What Does It Mean?

Google's Self-Driving Car May Soon Be Considered a Legal Driver

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Explore More

Look Who's Driving

Ethics and Self-Driving Cars

Can Autonomous Cars Learn to be Moral?

The Transportation Revolution Is Happening Faster Than You Think

Three Tasks Driverless Cars Need to Learn

Testing Self-Driving Cars in the Real World

The Self-Driving Uber Crash—What Does It Mean?

Google's Self-Driving Car May Soon Be Considered a Legal Driver