I previously posted some stuff about driverless-car testing in a mock cityscape in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which might seem unnecessary given Google’s regular runs on actual streets and highways. But here’s an update on the progress from “Town Built for Driverless Cars,” by Will Knight at Technology Review:

“A mocked-up set of busy streets in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will provide the sternest test yet for self-driving cars. Complex intersections, confusing lane markings, and busy construction crews will be used to gauge the aptitude of the latest automotive sensors and driving algorithms; mechanical pedestrians will even leap into the road from between parked cars so researchers can see if they trip up onboard safety systems.

The urban setting will be used to create situations that automated driving systems have struggled with, such as subtle driver-pedestrian interactions, unusual road surfaces, tunnels, and tree canopies, which can confuse sensors and obscure GPS signals.

‘If you go out on the public streets you come up against rare events that are very challenging for sensors,’ says Peter Sweatman, director of the University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center, which is overseeing the project. ‘Having identified challenging scenarios, we need to re-create them in a highly repeatable way. We don’t want to be just driving around the public roads.'”