Waymo details sixth-generation autonomous driving hardware

Waymo detailed the sixth generation of its autonomous-driving hardware on 19 August 2024, introducing a sensor configuration intended to lower cost while maintaining overlapping views around the vehicle. The system combines 13 cameras, four lidars, six radars and external audio receivers, with sensing coverage extending up to 500 metres. Waymo says the redesign achieves improved capability with fewer sensors than its previous generation.

The hardware incorporates sensor cleaning and protection designed for more demanding weather, including cold conditions and snow. Waymo can adapt individual sensing components to the conditions of a deployment area while retaining the same underlying autonomous-driving software. Its engineers developed the sensor layout and vehicle integration together to preserve overlapping coverage around nearby objects and distant road features.

At the announcement, the sixth-generation system had accumulated thousands of miles of real-world driving and millions of miles in simulation. Waymo said experience and software developed on its fifth-generation Driver would help accelerate validation of the new hardware. The reveal described a system undergoing testing; it did not announce the start of a public driverless service using the sixth-generation vehicle.