Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are coming, at least initially as ride hailing services. Waymo, part of Google/ Alphabet, has just launched the first commercially available AV driverless ride hailing/ taxi service in Arizona.
I rode in Waymo’s new self-driving taxi service
Yes, initially they will have drivers in the cars for scenarios when something goes wrong (kinda like in DLR) but they will be driven completely by the computers, otherwise.
I wanted to know what ARRSErs take on this is? Even though they will be launched on a limited basis in selected locations, they will come to Europe as well. It’s a matter of when, not if. Will be a lot trickier in the old world (London springs to my mind!), for sure, except maybe in some cities and regions where the road signs and infrastructure is decent.
If an AV taxi service comes to your neighborhood, will you be part of the early adopter crowd, or more of a wait and see one? Or are will you be showing your middle finger to these AV services?
Me? Sign me up now! These would great for drunken pub crawls. Eventually, one day, cut down on drink driving for those out in the sticks/ places with no public transport.
Disclaimer: I am not being paid by anyone/ firm, this is just for my personal curiosity with regards to the adoption trends/ opinions of people on this board. I have a background in STEM/ Business and have dealt with AV systems professionally and in school.
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Other background info: Uber had an incident earlier this year when an AV Uber had an incident and unfortunately the pedestrian got killed in the accident. This was found to be due the fact that Uber overwrote Volvo’s own pedestrian braking systems with Uber’s own SW which was taking some shortcuts, bypassing the usual test routes leading to this incident. Since then, Uber apparently has made a number of changes and the test program is back on track.
Why Uber’s self-driving car killed a pedestrian
So far, the AV testing has shown it to be much much safer than human drivers in most “normal” scenarios. Throw in snow, sleet and other tricky conditions, they are not quite there yet. For all the AI computing power and technology, the human brain, when it’s sober and functioning properly, is still the ultimate machine.