Two Waymo robots in Phoenix last year “connected” with the same pickup It was in the middle of a recall that forced the Alphabet subsidiary to issue a software recall for its cars. In this case, “recall” meant issuing a software update after investigating the problem and determining its root cause.
In a blog post, Waymo announced that on December 11, 2023, one of its robot taxis collided with a rear-facing pickup truck. The company says the truck was not properly towed and angled through the center turn lane and the travel lane. The tow truck apparently did not pull over after the incident, and another Waymo vehicle collided with the pickup a few minutes later. Waymo didn’t say what it meant by saying its robotaxi “came into contact” with the truck, but said the incidents resulted in no injuries and only damage to a small vehicle. There were no passengers in the self-driving cars at the time of the collision.
After an investigation, Waymo determined that its software incorrectly predicted the pickup truck’s future movements because there was a “persistent orientation mismatch” between the towed vehicle and the vehicle pulling it. The company has developed and approved a software fix to prevent similar incidents in the future and began deploying the update to its fleet on December 20.
Waymo’s competitor was Cruise involved in a more serious incident Last year, one of its robot taxis dragged someone who had been hit by another car several dozen feet down a San Francisco street. Then California suspended his license to operate in the state, and as a result, Cruise stopped all robots operations, even ones with a human driver behind the wheel as part of a safety review. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for Waymo, which recently arrived announced It will begin testing self-driving vehicles on freeways and highways in and around Phoenix.
