Self-driving startups like Cruise and Pony.ai have begun testing their driverless cars in some parts of California over the past year, with an added feature: human operators.
Although there is no driver behind the wheel, the passenger seat is occupied by a security officer who “has a red button that can stop the vehicle in case something happens,” James Peng, CEO of Pony.ai, told Reuters.
The operator will be removed next year when Pony.ai, whose investors include: [Toyota], plans to deploy its driverless self-driving vehicles in certain areas of California. Still, a third-party operator will monitor vehicles and provide guidance when the vehicles run into trouble, Peng said.
Alphabet’s Waymo has staff wearing fluorescent yellow vests on hand to provide roadside assistance to its automated minivans in Phoenix, according to videos and to one of its avid drivers, Joel Johnson, who witnessed it.
Cruise, which is largely owned by General Motors, started in October 2020 at night with five driverless vehicles in San Francisco, with a human in the front seat. The attendant has “the ability to stop the vehicle at any time during the ride,” a Cruise spokesman said.
“Cruise sees the development of self-driving vehicles not only as a technical race, but also as a race of confidence,” the spokesperson added. “Given that, we’re keeping people informed about driverless vehicle testing, not only as a means of safe development, but also, beyond that, to build trust with the public.”
South Korean auto giant Hyundai has invested in remote-control startup Ottopia, which will provide remote assistance to the robotic axi fleets through Hyundai’s self-driving car joint venture Motional.
Tesla to drivers: ‘Be ready to act’
The continued human presence in what are believed to be software-driven, automated vehicles underscores the challenges faced by the automated vehicle industry, which has consumed billions of dollars of investment capital over the past decade.
With no end in sight to the technical and regulatory hurdles to scratch-free, self-driving robotaxis, some self-driving companies are accepting the need for human nannies and narrowing their ambitions so they can start monetizing in the near future, according to interviews with investors and startup executive.
Even Tesla, which recently launched a new test version of what it calls “Full Self-Driving” software, said in a message to owners that drivers “must be prepared to act immediately, especially in blind corners, intersections and in narrow driving.” “situations.” US safety authorities have opened a formal investigation into the autopilot driver assistance system from the automaker after a series of fatal accidents.
Waymo’s Roadside Assistance
Waymo has been developing self-driving technology for more than a decade and launched the first commercial robot axis in Phoenix in 2018. But the successor to Google’s groundbreaking self-driving car project is still keeping people informed.
Waymo told Reuters it runs four teams that monitor and assist the fleet. Duties range from answering rider questions to remotely providing a “second pair of eyes” in tricky situations such as road closures. One of its teams provides roadside assistance in the event of collisions and other incidents.
The teams “work together throughout the day to orchestrate the operation of our fully autonomous fleet,” Nathaniel Fairfield, a software engineer at Waymo, said in a statement to Reuters.
Waymo does not operate remote-controlled vehicles, he said.
“We don’t use remote takeover, or ‘joysticking’, because we don’t think remote people actually add security,” he said, referring to possible wireless connectivity issues.
Waymo now plans to launch commercial autonomous vehicles with safety drivers in San Francisco. The company relies on an army of vehicle operators to ramp up testing in the dense and complex urban environment.
A former Waymo operator who took part in the testing in San Francisco this year said he had to “disconnect” and intervene about 30 times a day in cases such as the car not stopping quickly enough for red lights or vehicles in front slowing down abruptly. or stop.
“You’re wary… There are times when (you think) ‘Oh, I didn’t predict this behavior at all.’ “This behavior doesn’t usually happen,” said the senior security operator, speaking on condition of anonymity over confidentiality concerns.
dirty little secret
Regulators are also keeping people involved with automated vehicles. California laws “call for a two-way communication link that allows the manufacturer to continuously monitor the location/status of the (self-driving) vehicle,” the California Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement to Reuters.
Other robot taxi companies are using remote control as a way to get vehicles on the road.
In Las Vegas, startup Halo allows customers to summon a driverless car, which is controlled by a remote human operator over fast, fifth-generation wireless networks operated by T-Mobile US.
“Just a few years ago, remote human assistance was a dirty little secret in this space,” said Elliot Katz, co-founder of teleoperation company Phantom Auto. “Hardly anyone spoke about it publicly because there was still a facade that these vehicles could just drive autonomously, wherever they needed to go and do everything a human driver would do.”
He added: “Everyone now knows that won’t be the case.”
© Thomson Reuters 2021
