--- title: "Watch a Self-Driving Car Deftly Zoom Through a Heavy Rainstorm" description: "Bad weather encounters on highways might become a lot less scary thanks to advancements in self-driving car technology." date: "2019-08-30" modified: "2019-08-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/self-driving-car-heavy-rainstorm" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" tags: - "hacking" - "open source" - "open source software" - "self driving car" - "the digest" --- # Watch a Self-Driving Car Deftly Zoom Through a Heavy Rainstorm ![Bad weather encounters on highways might become a lot less scary thanks to advancements in self-driving car technology.]() *\Image: Logan LeGrand\* ## Open Source Self-Driving Hitting bad weather on a highway is stressful and dangerous, with high speed winds, reduced visibility and the risk of hydroplaning. But a new video shows that self-driving car tech is making impressive strides in dealing with stormy conditions. https://youtu.be/394rJKeh76k The video, uploaded by Logan LeGrand today, shows a modified 2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback easily maintaining its 40 mph speed through a heavy downpour. The smart vehicle also spots a slowing car in front of it with plenty of time to spare, alerting LeGrand with a bright red message that reads "take control immediately." Despite the warning, the driver barely has to touch the steering wheel as the car handles the situation itself. ## Openpilot The brains behind the impressive demonstration come courtesy of Comma.ai, an AI startup founded by storied hacker George Hotz. The company's Openpilot software is able to override the conventional self-driving assistance features of current-generation cars. The first iteration of the software was packed into a complete $999 package called the Comma One, which was announced at a tech event in 2015. Unfortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration immediately took issue with the system, forcing Hotz to [shut down]() the startup's project. ## Next Gen But that wasn't the end of it. In November 2016, Comma.ai [open-sourced the project](), warning users they were on their own if anything went badly. Since then, it's been kept alive by self-driving car enthusiasts, with the startup claiming in May that it hit [10 million miles]() driven on Openpilot. **READ MORE:** [OpenPilot - Self Driving In A Rainstorm]() \[YouTube\] **More on self-driving cars:** *[Self-Driving Racecars Are Edging Up Toward Human Records]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()