Uber's Self-Driving Car Detects Woman But Still Hits Her - Reports

The self-driving Uber car that killed Helena Herzberg, a bicyclist who crossed the road in the wrong place, "saw" her on the road through its front cameras and a system that determined the distance, but did not consider her appearance a reason for stopping, according to sources close to the investigation of the incident.

The problem lies with the parameters of manual configuration of the system responsible for the logic of object recognition. Typically, the system is set up so that it is not "frightened" by unexpected objects, for example, parked cars near the road. However, in this case, the car did not stop even after the cyclist moved in front of the vehicle — the car simply ignored it.

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Herzberg's death is the first to be caused by a self-driving car in the US. She was struck around 10:00 p.m. local time while crossing a four-lane road with her bicycle, without a crosswalk present.

The family of Elaine Herzberg has reached a settlement with Uber just 10 days after the fatal accident.