https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-video-promoting-sel...
for me i have been riding in waymos the last year and have been very pleased with the results. i think we WANT this technology to move faster but the some of the challenges at the edges take a lot of time and resources to solve, but not fundamentally unsolvable.
they are likely semi autonomous, which is still cool, but I wish they'd be honest about it
Much like phone-a-friend, when the Waymo vehicle encounters a particular situation on the road, the autonomous driver can reach out to a human fleet response agent for additional information to contextualize its environment. The Waymo Driver does not rely solely on the inputs it receives from the fleet response agent and it is in control of the vehicle at all times. As the Waymo Driver waits for input from fleet response, and even after receiving it, the Waymo Driver continues using available information to inform its decisions. This is important because, given the dynamic conditions on the road, the environment around the car can change, which either remedies the situation or influences how the Waymo Driver should proceed. In fact, the vast majority of such situations are resolved, without assistance, by the Waymo Driver.
https://waymo.com/blog/2024/05/fleet-response/
Although I think they overstate the extent to which the Waymo Driver is capable of independent decisions. So, honest, ish, I guess.
Is this why Waymo is slow to expand, not enough remote drivers?
Maybe that is where we need to be focused, better remote driving?
The reason that Waymo is slow to expand is that they have to carefully and extensively LiDAR map every single road of their operating area before they can open up service in an area. Then while operating they simply do a difference algo on what each LiDAR sees at the moment and the truth data they have stored, and boom, anything that can potentially move pops right out. It works, it just takes a lot of prep- and a lot of people to keep on top of things too. For example, while my kid's school was doing construction they refused to drop off in the parking lot, but when the construction ended they became willing. So there must be a human who is monitoring construction zones across the metro area, and marking up on their internal maps when areas are off limits.
I think maybe we can and should focus on both. Better remote driving can be extended into other equipment operations as well - remote control of excavators and other construction equipment. Imagine road construction, or building projects, being able to be done remotely while we wait for better automation to develop.
* Saves on commute or travel time.
* Job sites no longer need to provide housing for workers.
* Allows the vehicles to stay in operation continuously, currently they shut down for breaks.
* With automation multiple vehicles could be operated at once.
The biggest benefits seem to be in resource extraction but I believe the vehicles there are already highly automated. At least the haul trucks.
It does, they argue cause they are clueless or have veted interest.
Sometimes both.