Roads are paved with obstacles than can interfere with our driving. They can be as easy to avoid or adjust to as far-away debris or as hard to anticipate as strong gusts of wind. As self-driving cars and other autonomous vehicles become a reality, how can researchers make sure these systems remain in control under highly uncertain conditions? A team of automation experts may have found a way. Using a branch of mathematics called fractional calculus, the researchers created algorithmic disturbance observers that make on-the-fly calculations to put a disturbed system back on track.