2 weeks ago
The institution has suspended operations successful a 2nd city.
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock
Autonomous cars are getting much tin each nan time, but they stay a spot excessively consenting to conflict mother quality and lose. Case successful point: Waymo has halted its robotaxi work successful a 2nd US metropolis successful nan past fortnight owed to issues pinch dense rainfall and flooding.
First reported by TechCrunch, nan institution has paused its operations successful Atlanta aft 1 of its self-driving vehicles was seen driving done a heavy flooded street, wherever it yet sewage stuck for astir an hour. This comes aft Waymo besides temporarily suspended its San Antonio work past week and issued a voluntary callback for astir 4,000 robotaxis. At nan time, nan institution said it was preparing an OTA package spot that would hole an evident inability to find erstwhile an area is excessively flooded to thrust done safely. This was successful consequence to 1 of its unoccupied vehicles driving into and subsequently being swept distant by a flood successful nan Texas city.
Another caller package spot was expected to person placed restrictions connected Waymo's in-service autonomous vehicles approaching roads astatine precocious consequence of flooding astatine a definite time, but this update intelligibly wasn't effective capable to forestall nan latest incident successful Atlanta. Waymo told Engadget that a section large wind had been truthful aggravated that flooding had occurred earlier nan National Weather Service could rumor a informing aliases alert, and that it was continuing to create its package to amended capacity successful challenging conditions.
"Safety is Waymo's apical priority, some for our riders and everyone we stock nan roadworthy with," a Waymo spokesperson told Engadget. "During a play of aggravated rainfall yesterday successful Atlanta, an unoccupied Waymo conveyance encountered a flooded roadworthy and stopped. The conveyance has been recovered and removed from nan scene."
Nobody has been reported injured arsenic a consequence of nan caller spate of flooding incidents, but while Waymo would nary uncertainty insist that its vehicles are broadly overmuch safer than nan human-driven equivalent, this isn't nan first clip their sometimes erratic behaviour has raised concerns. Back successful January, nan National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating reports of nan company's robotaxi illegally passing unloading schoolhouse buses successful Austin.
On nan aforesaid time that peculiar investigation was opened, a Waymo vehicle deed a child, who sustained insignificant injuries. Waymo said its conveyance detected nan pedestrian immediately, and that nan robotaxi braked difficult to little its velocity from astir 17 mph to nether 6 mph astatine nan clip of impact. An investigation into that incident by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is ongoing.
