Autonomous driving practitioners not only have autonomous driving in their eyes

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Electric current is flying among 6,000 electron tubes, and the room temperature rises due to the continuous operation of the machine. In a room filled with a supercomputer, programmers are eagerly looking forward to it automatically outputting calculation results accurately. Almost as soon as data is entered, numbers and symbols are quickly converted into results via the new binary computer. At this moment, reliable and efficient electronic computers were born, and the wheel of human civilization quietly embedded itself on a new track.

This type of computer, which evolved rapidly during the period of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, together with atomic energy technology, space technology, and bioengineering technology, set off the third industrial revolution that lasted for decades. Among them, the series of changes brought about by electronic computers have most profoundly and directly changed the face of society.

In this revolution, programmers have indirectly participated in the transformation of the old world through code, and have become one of the groups that people are gradually paying attention to. In casual jokes, programmers are gradually labeled with various labels: dull, otaku, straight men, plaid shirts, quarreling with product managers every day...

Nowadays, autonomous driving is expected to become a new travel mode for mankind. Way. While reshaping transportation, four practitioners from an autonomous driving company in Shenzhen would like to talk about their lives and work, so that the outside world can see their true appearance.

Front-end engineer who completed the 200-kilometer marathon

Every weekend along the Dasha River in Shenzhen, people can always see a team running in the morning light. The man running at the front of the team is named Li Wei. He is one of the founding members of the largest marathon club in South China and is also a front-end engineer.

Before getting into long-distance running, Liwei’s favorite sport was hiking. When he was still in school in Beijing, his roommate asked Liwei to go hiking in the wild mountains around Beijing. Liwei, who was new to hiking, agreed without much thought and followed his roommate into the mountains without any equipment. The mountain road was full of dangerous insects, so it was naturally more difficult for him to walk, and he suffered a lot because he was not equipped. But he thought that at that time he was as ignorant as a newborn calf. He still didn't pay attention to preparing equipment for subsequent hikes. Once he and his friends climbed Mount Wutai, and they walked for two full days.

After graduating and starting to work, the outgoing and lively Liwei came into contact with more people with different hobbies and discovered a bigger world. At the invitation of his colleagues, he ran together in the Olympic Forest Park to challenge a more difficult marathon.

Unlike hiking, long-distance running has higher requirements on participants’ physical fitness, equipment supply and rhythm adjustment. Liwei began to learn pre-race training and communicate with runners about the precautions for the race. After learning more about sports, he felt scared about entering the barren mountains without any equipment.

Liwei participated in a marathon for the first time and chose the 21-kilometer half marathon. He used this game as motivation to force himself to train and improve his long-distance running ability, and spent a week training before the game. Although he thought the race was not difficult, he was still very happy that he successfully completed the race. For him, this race was the first milestone in his long-distance running career.

Liwei has been involved in long-distance running for five years and has participated in marathons of various sizes across the country. The entire race has gradually increased from 21 kilometers to 100 kilometers and 200 kilometers, and the race duration has also been extended to 20 hours. above. In order to finish the race within the specified time, he often ran for more than ten hours without eating or sleeping like other runners. I was really sleepy, so I put on my jacket and slept on the ground. When I was hungry, I forced myself to run to the next supply station.

It is extremely lucky to successfully complete the game. More often, Liwei encounters various unexpected situations.

Liwei often encounters sudden changes in weather conditions during competitions. He clearly remembered a marathon held in Hangzhou. After running for more than ten hours, he entered the mountainous area. Due to the huge physical exertion, his thigh muscles kept shaking. At this time, he was hungry and tired. Unfortunately, it rained heavily at night and the temperature was bitingly cold. He was alarmed to find that his whole body was shivering and his consciousness began to blur. This was a sign of extremely dangerous hypothermia. What's even worse is that his feet were covered with blisters after running for a long time, and he felt excruciating pain every time he took a step. Fortunately, his journey was going down the mountain. Driven by his survival instinct, he gritted his teeth and continued to run towards the finish line on his blistered feet.

The marathon is not so much a test of the participants’ physical strength as it is a struggle of self-willpower. Fatigue, hunger, and injuries are normal conditions for marathon runners. Many people are so sleepy that they become unconscious after running for a long time, and only their legs move mechanically. Once, Li Wei ran for a certain distance because he was too tired and his brain was in a state of confusion. After regaining consciousness, he suddenly found that he had run to the edge of a cliff.

Although Liwei thinks that none of the marathons he participated in went smoothly, he still loves long-distance running. He saw mountains and plains, met friends from all over the world, and heard many interesting stories. Sometimes, he also received unexpected surprises along the way. In 2021, when he participated in the marathon on Tai Mo Shan, the highest peak in Hong Kong, he met Hong Kong star Zhang Yunfa who was climbing on the way down, and the two took a photo together.

Of course, he is not only satisfied with this, he also enjoys the pleasure of adjusting stage goals according to the game status and achieving them one by one during the game. After completing each race that challenged himself, he also reached more milestones. Just like his work at a self-driving startup company, busy and urgent work often occupied his time, and he also needed to adjust according to the work just like he did during long-distance running races. Goals, and quantify the needs of colleagues to set phased goals, and finally reach work milestones.

Now, as the leader of the first team of the Marathon Club, Liwei trains with his teammates twice a week. No matter how busy he is at work, he can still find time to participate in team activities. In his view, this is a test of his energy allocation. Only by finding a balance between work and exercise can he be in the best state.

Product Manager’s Wishes: Free and Equal Travel

Qiu Ping is a female driver who likes cars, and she is also a product manager that programmers look up to without looking down.

When he was looking for a job after graduating from college, Qiuping entered the automobile industry. She has been responsible for vehicle-mounted human-computer interaction products in automotive supply chain companies, OEMs and autonomous driving companies. For Qiuping, this job is not a means to make a living, but more like a passionate lifestyle.

A large part of Qiuping's work involves flying to different cities to test drive the latest smart cars and experience the human-computer interaction and assisted driving products of different products. On weekends, she would drive around with her friends to nearby attractions, go to 4S stores to test drive cars she was interested in and exchange opinions with each other. In the eyes of many of her fellow programmers, this is an "enviable job."

Only Qiuping knows that this job is not as easy as it seems to others. Although the work content seems interesting, you need to be rigorous and thoughtful when considering the plan. How to ensure product safety while taking into account comfort is not easy. In order to provide a more convenient interactive experience, Qiuping will look for interactive innovation points from smart speakers with faster iteration speed and fewer security and privacy issues. She will evaluate each product from dozens of dimensions, and finally come up with the best solution for the current situation. Plans sometimes require compromises with limited resources. This is actually a bittersweet process.

After working at an autonomous driving start-up company, one of Qiuping’s most impressive projects was adding accessibility features for the visually impaired. It was her first in-depth understanding of the world of the visually impaired.

Previously, Qiuping’s understanding of the disabled community came from the children of friends. Unfortunately, he was born with hearing loss. Because he was still very young, he needed hearing aids to learn to communicate with others. Qiuping found that although society's overall care for the disabled group has improved, daily travel for the disabled group is still inconvenient. If they do not wear hearing aids, the hearing-impaired can easily be knocked down because they cannot hear reminders. Qiuping decided to use the company's project to make some changes in the travel of disabled people.

The project is first targeted at the visually impaired. After completing the first version of Robotaxi's accessibility features, she invited a group of visually impaired people from the Federation of Disabled Persons to experience all aspects of the process from making a reservation through the mini-app, taking the Robotaxi to getting off the bus. Although everyone particularly recognized that Robotaxi has brought great help to the travel of the visually impaired, Qiuping received a variety of suggestions on some details, and the number exceeded Qiuping's expectations. She found that the early user research was still insufficient, and many needs of the visually impaired had not been met.

They collected feedback and suggestions and carefully screened the feasibility of the suggestions with their colleagues. After repeated modifications and multiple rounds of testing, this product has now become much more mature. After the vehicle arrives, the taxi app on the user's mobile phone can jump to the walking voice navigation page to help the visually impaired walk to the pick-up point where the order is placed. The vehicle uses an external speaker to help the visually impaired user accurately locate the vehicle. When the user enters the car and speaks the last number of his mobile phone, the system can automatically verify the user's identity, and then start the Robotaxi service after successful verification.

After the product became more mature, Qiu Ping invited piano tuner Mo Chuanxi to test drive the product. In April 2021, Mo Chuanxi left a message on the official account of Qiuping's company, making the company aware of the needs of the visually impaired for autonomous driving, and also contributed to the establishment of the barrier-free project.

During the test ride, Qiuping accompanied me throughout the process. Mo Chuanxi confided to her that this test ride reminded him of the countless taxi refusals he had encountered. Many drivers left after seeing the guide dogs. Sometimes I can’t even find a taxi on the roadside when I use my mobile phone to hail a taxi. "It turned out to be just a fantasy. How many times have I dreamed of this scene in my dreams, and finally my dream came true. Autonomous driving makes my travel more dignified." These words of Mo Chuanxi still make Qiuping and her Colleagues were impressed.

In Qiuping’s view, some barrier-free designs can not only help disabled people, but also benefit more ordinary users. For example, when a user who has never experienced self-driving travel is looking for a Robotaxi, the Robotaxi, which looks like any other vehicle, can give voice prompts to the user, making it easier for the user to find the vehicle more quickly.

“This project is not a utilitarian project, but the whole company recognizes the value of this project. Colleagues in each department cooperate as always, and all requests, large and small, are responded to in a timely manner. "In the future, Qiuping and his colleagues will also design friendly self-driving travel experiences for more people. She hopes that everyone can enjoy more equal and convenient services in different scenarios.

Programming and grabbing vintage items, programmers don’t just have plaid shirts

Guan Chao is a simulation engineer. Unlike the stereotype of programmers who like to wear classic plaid shirts, he likes to wear various Search forums and second-hand websites for vintage items.

Vintage clothes are clothes that are no longer produced in the second-hand market. The first time Guanchao came into contact with vintage clothes was in 2020. Due to the lockdown at home due to the epidemic, Guanchao browsed many websites and forums after work. One day, Guanchao accidentally clicked on a well-known second-hand trading website in North America and was immediately attracted by a casual suit jacket produced in 2014. He placed an order with the idea of ​​giving it a try.

After receiving the goods, he found that this suit jacket was very suitable for the season when the temperature difference between morning and evening was large, and the color was also to his liking. This piece of clothing not only changed Guan Chao's dressing style, but also brought him into contact with different cultural groups.

Guanchao began to learn more about second-hand clothing brands and the stories behind them, shared shopping experiences and the latest information with friends, and even grabbed some limited edition styles by writing programs. Many of the vintage pieces he collected were produced in the 1980s. What attracted Guanchao to them was their unique design and materials. When he puts on these clothes that span time, he can feel the effort that the designers put into the clothes, and time seems to linger on the clothes.

The combination of old clothes and modern people across space and time is like his work, which interacts with reality and virtuality.

Guanchao’s daily work is to restore the streets, cars, buildings and other elements in the real world to the greatest extent in the simulation test tools, and constantly let self-driving cars drive in the virtual world to deal with various situations. After self-driving cars have undergone countless tests in the virtual world, they will promote the upgrade and iteration of self-driving systems in the real world and promote the development of self-driving cars.

Guanchao believes that the real world may have boundaries, but technology will definitely make the real world more possible. He still remembers that in the AR class at the university, the teacher designed many feature points around the campus. Through his mobile phone, he and his classmates could see interesting things that were invisible to the naked eye, such as virtual signs guiding the direction of gourmet restaurants.

That class changed Guan Chao’s understanding of the world and made him decide to engage in work related to AR and VR. After graduation, he turned down a high-paying offer from a major game company and worked at an autonomous driving startup for nearly four years. To this day, he is still happy with his decision because his job is exactly what he loves.

Although he has not entered the gaming industry, Guanchao is as concerned about e-sports as many young people. He is an avid player of Dota 2. He said: "I have been waiting for the Chinese team to win another world championship. As long as this championship is not won, my youth will not end. I have been waiting for four years and may continue to wait. Go on."

Under Guanchao's recommendation, my fellow programmers also entered the vintage circle. After get off work, they share music, fitness experiences, and cat-raising tips like everyone else. Guanchao said that even though some programmers like square-frame glasses and plaid shirts, this does not mean they are rigid. Everyone has their own interests. “If you look carefully, you will find that we are actually a very diverse group.”

Break gender bias, women can also be independent

"Female students are more meticulous than boys, but their minds are not as smart as male classmates."

During the course of Engineer Xu Xu's studies, many teachers said this, but her grades were always among the best. She was more interested in science and engineering subjects such as mathematics than liberal arts. Whenever the teacher said these words, she could not understand where the logic of the teacher's words came from. What makes her even more puzzled is that the people who say such things are often female teachers.

After the college entrance examination, Xu Xu planned to apply for a major in surveying and mapping out of her interest in mathematics, geometry and other subjects. This decision was opposed by her parents. The reason for the objection was that geographical surveying and mapping are often conducted outdoors and are more suitable for boys. Not suitable for girls. However, in Xu Xu's observation, "jobs suitable for boys" mean that in a secular sense, it is easier to realize personal social value. In the face of interest, she did not consider which gender was more suitable, and directly applied for the surveying and mapping major, which she thought was cooler. In the end, she was admitted to the School of Surveying and Mapping of Wuhan University, which ranked first in the country.

When Xu Xu graduated with a master's degree, it was at the height of a new round of development in the autonomous driving industry. She was studying lidar perception and joined an autonomous driving company and became a perception algorithm engineer. She felt more relaxed and flexible in an atmosphere that only focused on work ability. Here, no one doubts a woman’s ability to work. She has also become the backbone of the company’s R&D department by successfully completing projects one after another.

Xu Xu believes that the coolest moment at work is when the perception algorithm she participated in the research and development was successfully put online after development and testing. This process sounds simple, but actually requires crossing a huge chasm. Xu Xu's company is famous for its leading perception algorithm, but like most engineers, she will not be satisfied with the current achievements after the algorithm goes online. She can always see areas that can be improved and is always enthusiastic about it. Keep improving.

In Xu Xu’s heart, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a female role model that she deeply respects. Ginsburg encountered all kinds of discrimination in her life, and she devoted her life to fighting for the legitimate rights of women. Even after suffering from two cancers and a broken bone, Ginsburg never stopped working. In 2020, Ginsburg passed away due to illness, and the White House rarely lowered the flag at half-mast for a judge. Xu Xu hopes that like Ginsberg, she can engage in the work she loves and work tirelessly for the things she cares about.

On the campus of the world-famous Yale University, there is a sculpture called "The Women's Table". On this round table, the number of female students since the founding of Yale in 1701 is engraved. Numbers started with a series of "0"s, and it was not until 1873 that the numbers began to gradually increase from one digit to two digits and three digits. It was not until 1999 that this number exceeded that of men for the first time.

In the past few years of work, Xu Xu has witnessed the rapid development of the company and the continuous advancement of the industry implementation process. As a pioneer in the cutting-edge technology of autonomous driving, she also looks forward to more women joining the team. Just like the number of women on the "Women's Table", she believes that in the future, more and more women will be able to obtain a good education, follow their hearts, and blaze their own path.

Imagine the world of autonomous driving

In the autonomous driving industry, what we often see easily is that a certain autonomous driving company has received hundreds of millions of dollars in financing, and the number of test miles continues to rise, reaching the trillion level The market, the promotion of policies...

However, behind the excitement is the silent hard work of a group of people, and it is also the real and tangible life of this group of people. They have more romantic visions for the future of autonomous driving:

Liwei predicts that within ten years, Robotaxi will be everywhere in the streets and alleys, and will be able to interact naturally with multiple modalities. In Qiuping's imagination, Robotaxi will be a robot with autonomous emotions, rather than just a means of transportation. Guanchao believes that all vehicles in the future can have autonomous driving functions like the car of the protagonist in "I, Robot." Xu Xu is looking forward to the realization of intelligent transportation systems and the further improvement of human travel efficiency.

No matter what kind of future travel vision you have, you can extract similar keywords from them, such as "smart", "convenient" and "equality".

With different personalities, they are all playing their roles well, striving to reach more milestones, constantly exploring products that meet the travel needs of more people, and breaking stereotypes through actions while polishing their technology. The future of autonomous driving is also becoming a reality step by step because of their efforts.

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