With the advancement of automated transportation technology, corporations that possess it are actively searching for more opportunities to trial it in a realistic setting. One particular corporation has initiated its testing on the roads of California.
The robotaxi enterprise Zoox, which is a branch of Amazon, commenced conducting public road trials of its self-driving vehicles this week. Amazon staff were provided with the chance to experience a ride in one of their autonomous vehicles back and forth between the company’s two main headquarters along a predetermined path. The vehicle can accommodate up to four passengers at a time and has the capability to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.
“With the debut of our self-governing employee transportation service, we are contributing to the advancements witnessed in this sector over the past year and bringing Zoox one step nearer to launching a commercialized, specially-designed robotaxi service for the general public,” stated Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.
A Zoox robotaxi transported numerous employees on several journeys along public roads connecting two of the company’s premises in Foster City, California. The vehicle reached speeds of 35 mph on its two-mile route.https://t.co/2b01b9nk9W
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In the event of safety apprehensions, a human controller has the ability to take over control of the vehicle either to navigate it or bring it to a stop. All incidents are documented and relayed to Zoox for testing and examination purposes. Evans elaborated, “If the vehicle encounters a situation where it requires assistance either due to needing to execute a task it’s not familiar with or due to uncertainty in handling a situation, we have what we refer to as a ‘fusion center,’ with trained supervisory operators overseeing the situation and then providing directives to the vehicle. These directions could involve granting permission for action — yet the vehicle remains in control and manages all driving aspects — or suggesting an alternative course of action, or as a last resort, bringing the vehicle to halt.”
