---
title: "This Is What the World Looks Like to Synthetic Intelligences"
description: "Civil Maps provides a video showing how a self-driving car uses its technology to navigate on the road."
date: "2017-06-01"
modified: "2017-06-01"
authors:
  - name: "Karla Lant"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/karla"
url: "https://futurism.com/this-is-what-the-world-looks-like-to-synthetic-intelligences"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "Autonomous vehicles"
  - "Self-driving cars"
---

# This Is What the World Looks Like to Synthetic Intelligences

![self-driving cars autonomous vehicles six](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-01-at-12.14.17-PM.png>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O6DRfAC1JXA" target="\_blank"\>Civil Maps/Youtube\</a\>\</em\>*

If you've ever wondered what the road looks like through the eyes of an autonomous vehicle, now you can find out, thanks to this video from [Civil Maps](<https://civilmaps.com/>). The video depicts what a self-driving car perceives using its sensors and the information it processes through its on-board computer. Civil Maps, [Ford's HD map technology company](<https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/30/this-is-how-a-self-driving-car-sees-the-road/>), created the video, which also shows how detailed 3D maps is combined with sensor data from radar, optical cameras, and other on-board vehicle hardware to help an autonomous vehicle understand what's going on in the world around it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6DRfAC1JXA

The video shows how the car responds in use, taking things like a pedestrian crossing into account without slowing down too much, and processing messages from signs without “overthinking.” (For more on this from Anuj Gupta, the product manager for Civil Maps, see [his post on Medium](<https://medium.com/@CivilMaps/cognition-for-cars-using-6d-localization-b4a76527a110>).)

The video also shows the car using the mapping and localization tech at higher speeds of up to 113 kph (70 mph) on a freeway, providing a fairly convincing case for the tech. As early data suggests that [self-driving cars are safer](<http://safer-america.com/safe-self-driving-cars/>) than those driven by humans, this kind of autonomous driving tech could be used to make commuters safer.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlalant>)  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/KarlaLant>)