Skip advert
Advertisement

Deepfake software used to aid self-driving car development

Cutting-edge deepfake tech sees computer software simulate infinite number of different road environments to aid autonomous car development

The road to fully self-driving cars looks to have sped up significantly thanks to the use of deepfake software, a technology that can generate thousands of photo-realistic images in minutes. 

The use of deepfake tech means self-driving systems can be ‘taught’ to recognise countless driving environments, allowing developers to simulate different weather conditions, times of day, buildings, and other variables, such as altered road markings. These simulations are photorealistic, despite being confined to the virtual world, and can recreate road environments from anywhere in the world. 

Exposing autonomous car systems to a variety of driving environments is vital, as any truly self driving car that may arrive in the future must be able to deal with the infinitely variable road environments that exist from hour to hour around the globe. By bringing these situations out of the real world and into the virtual one, developers are able to significantly speed up how quickly self-driving vehicles will arrive.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The breakthrough comes from Oxford-based firm Oxbotica, which says the deepfake tech can produce “thousands of accurately-labelled, true-to-life experiences and rehearsals”, with a level of detail that recreates individual raindrops on windscreens. 

Paul Newman, co-founder and chief technology officer at Oxbotica, said deepfakes present “an incredible opportunity for us to increase the speed and efficiency” of self-driving car development, adding that the software: “enables us to test countless scenarios, which will not only enable us to scale our real-world testing exponentially; it’ll also be safer.”

Oxbotica says that while there will never be a substitute for real-world testing, deepfakes mean a far greater number of scenarios can be used than if on-road testing were the only source of machine learning. 

The company is using two different pieces of software in its deepfake trials, with one creating the fake images, and another detecting which images are real, and which are reproductions. Once the detection software is unable to tell the difference between a real scenario and a rendered one, the creation software is then judged ready to generate scenarios to ‘teach’ self-driving car systems.

What are deepfakes?

Deepfakes (the word is a blend of ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’) came to prominence in viral and other online videos, with the sophisticated software allowing people’s faces to be digitally imposed on the bodies of others, with a high degree of realism. While there have been significant concerns that deepfakes allow, for example, foreign states to create fake videos of politicians in compromising or controversial situations, the technology is now clearly being put to a more positive use. 

Do you like the idea of cars driving themselves? Let us know in the comments...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars will now pay £10 more per year, although the biggest gas guzzlers fare even worse
28 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024