> They work OK, but cost too much.

Costs have dropped dramatically in the past 20 years and continue to do so.

> There needs to be a cheap, flush-mounted replacement for those things.

Why? Corners are the optimal mounting position for maximum visibility. It allows the car to -in-effect- see around corners in ways no centrally mounted sensor can.

> Waymo needs to solve that problem before they do New York.

What? Because of vandalism?

Have you ever seen the corners of a car that has been parked in a big East-coast city? They will sustain damage during the course of normal operation and storage, and many people will not stop and leave their insurance information, especially if the damage is perceived as minor and happens while the car is parked and the owner not present. Currently, the corners of a car are relatively non-critical to its function and usually not too expensive to repair. If both of those change, we'll see more expensive damage that is more challenging to repair as well as less likely to be handled by the responsible party.

Also, having the sensors stick out from the corners makes the car's collision box and turning radius bigger. That doesn't help in any tight situation, but I imagine that's not that different between e.g. SF and New York. What is different is the sheer volume of cars and pedestrian activity.

I think it’s due to how often cars bump or scratch against each other in NYC (I.e. the sensors are in a vulnerable spot to be easily damaged).

It’s quite funny seeing the number of cars that have bumper skirts in NYC to help minimize damage from inevitable close encounters with other vehicles