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Luminar's cheap LiDAR could be a big boost for autonomous vehicles
LiDAR (laser pulse-based radar) is an essential component of autonomous driving, as it's what vehicles use to detect obstacles like other cars or pedestrians in order to navigate around them. But LiDAR systems aren't cheap. Now, autonomous vehicle sensor and software company Luminar has announced a new platform which will be a lower-priced alternative to current LiDAR systems.
Georgina Torbet07.12.2019
Waymo's self-driving system has driven 10 billion virtual miles
The 10 million miles Waymo's self-driving vehicles have driven in the real world is a feat in and of itself, but that figure is just a tiny fraction of what it has driven in simulation. At TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility, the Alphabet-owned company has revealed that it has driven over 10 billion virtual miles to test its technology. Waymo's simulation testing allows it to recreate multiple variations of real driving scenarios or to create completely new ones anytime it wants, so that its self-driving technology can learn without the risk of causing or encountering road traffic accidents.
Mariella Moon07.11.2019
Waymo offers free music and WiFi to make its driverless taxis stand out
Google's self-driving car project Waymo is looking for ways to distinguish itself in the cut-throat taxi market, where it must compete with ridesharing apps and other self-driving services as well as traditional taxis and public transport. To address this challenge, Waymo is focusing on better amenities to appeal to regular customers.
Georgina Torbet07.08.2019
Waymo will test its self-driving taxis on employees in California
Self-driving venture Waymo has been given permission by California authorities to transport people in its robotaxis. According to TechCrunch, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) gave Waymo the green light this week, issuing a permit that will allow the company to participate in the state's Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Service pilot. This means that Waymo employees will be able to hail a self-driving vehicle and take guests on rides within the company's South Bay territory.
Rachel England07.03.2019
Waymo hires former Anki staff to lead its self-driving trucks
Anki's robotic toy business is no more, but the expertise behind it might live on. Waymo has hired 13 of Anki's robotics experts to head its self-driving truck efforts. The recruits include Anki co-founder Boris Sofman as well as five engineers with doctorates from tech-focused schools like MIT, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. They'll operate out of Waymo's San Francisco offices and expect to grow in the years ahead.
Jon Fingas06.27.2019
Waymo is developing driverless services with Renault and Nissan
Waymo might make its way to the top of the automotive world with the help of industry giants that chose to team up with the company. The Alphabet subsidiary has just inked a deal with Renault and Nissan to explore the development of driverless mobility services. None of the companies involved revealed details about the project other than the products they do come up with will transport people and deliver goods in France and Japan. According to Reuters, though, the partnership will also explore the development of self-driving cars for the regions. Who knows -- it might even give Waymo the chance to get in on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics robotaxi action.
Mariella Moon06.20.2019
Waymo's Jaguar EV hits public roads for self-driving tests
Waymo is putting its Jaguar I-Pace EVs on the road for more public testing, only this time around it's been fully kitted out with self-driving tech. The company confirmed to TechCrunch it started testing the self-driving cars close to its Mountain View, California headquarters.
Kris Holt06.17.2019
Waymo resumes testing self-driving trucks in Arizona
Waymo -- Alphabet's autonomous vehicle company -- announced that it would resume testing its trucks on Phoenix freeways. The company had pulled its Class 8 trucks off the road back in 2017, after some brief tests in the state. Tests of the self-driving trucks will commence in Phoenix this week, a Waymo spokeswoman told Engadget over email. Each truck will be operated by two "trained" drivers, with the eventual goal being to move towards a completely driverless model.
Amrita Khalid05.29.2019
Waymo's self-driving vans will start picking up Lyft riders in Phoenix
Waymo and Lyft have clarified how their self-driving technology partnership will work in the short term. As an initial move, Lyft customers in the metro Phoenix area will have access to 10 Waymo vehicles in the next few months. You'll just have to pick the vehicle type from the Lyft app, much like you would with any other ride option. The move will both expand the reach of Waymo's fledgling self-driving operations and provide "valuable feedback."
Jon Fingas05.07.2019
Waymo will build its self-driving vehicle fleet in Detroit
Waymo will build its autonomous vehicles in Detroit. CEO John Krafcik wrote Tuesday in a Medium post that the company will repurpose an existing facility in Motor City with the goal of being operational by mid-2019. Back in January, the company announced it had chosen southeast Michigan as the location of its new facility for the mass production of L4 autonomous vehicles, the first of its kind in the world.
Amrita Khalid04.23.2019
Ford CEO says the company 'overestimated' self-driving cars
Ford CEO Jim Hackett scaled back hopes about the company's plans for self-driving cars this week, admitting that the first vehicles will have limits. "We overestimated the arrival of autonomous vehicles," said Hackett, who once headed the company's autonomous vehicle division, at a Detroit Economic Club event on Tuesday. While Ford still plans on launching its self-driving car fleet in 2021, Hackett added that "its applications will be narrow, what we call geo-fenced, because the problem is so complex."
Amrita Khalid04.10.2019
Waymo is building a new service center for its self-driving fleet
Waymo announced plans to open a new technical service center in Mesa, Arizona. There, it will service and maintain its Waymo One cars -- the vehicles that make up its self-driving car service. Waymo launched the on-demand, autonomous rides (with human backup) in December. And, by the looks of this expansion, things are going well for the company.
Christine Fisher03.19.2019
Waymo will sell its lidar sensors to companies outside of self-driving cars
Alphabet subsidiary Waymo announced today that it is going to let companies use its powerful sensor technology for purposes other than self-driving vehicles. It will start by selling one of its lidars: a 3D perimeter sensor that can measure distance by sending out pulses of laser light called the Laser Bear Honeycomb. The sensor, which will only be available to select partners of Waymo, is typically used on the bumpers of autonomous vehicles.
AJ Dellinger03.06.2019
Waymo's self-driving cars needed a lot less human intervention in 2018
Waymo likes to boast that its self-driving cars can handle tough situations, and now it has some extra data to back up its claims. The California DMV has published manufacturers' reports for autonomous vehicle disengagements (moments when a human had to intervene), and Waymo's disengagement rate fell in 2018 to 0.09 for every 1,000 driverless miles -- that's half as many instances as in 2017. To Waymo, that's evidence the cars are better at dealing with "edge cases," those once-in-a-lifetime situations that used to require human adaptability.
Jon Fingas02.13.2019
Waymo may team up with Renault-Nissan on self-driving taxis
Waymo might not be done courting the automotive world after working with the likes of Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar Land Rover. Nikkei claims the Alphabet-owned company is in the "final phase" of talks to partner with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance on self-driving car services. While there aren't too many specifics, one project would have Waymo and Nissan work together on autonomous taxis, including a system for booking rides. You'd hear about the union in the spring, Nikkei said.
Jon Fingas02.05.2019
Waymo will build self-driving cars in Michigan
Waymo just took another major step toward bringing self-driving cars into the mainstream. The Alphabet-owned brand has received approval to establish a factory for its driverless vehicles in Michigan. This will be the first factory in the world to be completely devoted to mass-producing Level 4 autonomous vehicles, the company said.
Jon Fingas01.22.2019
Uber puts self-driving cars back on the road in scaled-down test
Eight months after one of Uber's self-driving cars fatally struck a pedestrian, the company is getting ready to resume testing of its autonomous vehicles on public roads. However, according to internal sources, there are concerns about the program's safety, with some employees claiming corners are being cut in a bid to reach milestones and keep up with competitors.
Rachel England12.06.2018
Waymo launches its first commercial self-driving car service
The rumor was true: Waymo's self-driving car service is here. The company has launched Waymo One, its first commercial ride hailing offering. People in part of the metro Phoenix area can use an app to ask for an autonomous vehicle 24/7 much like they would ridesharing cars, complete with price estimates and trip reviews. Up to three adults and a child can travel at once. To no one's surprise, though, Waymo is starting cautiously -- it's hoping to avoid further collisions and ease the community into a driverless world.
Jon Fingas12.05.2018
Tesla celebrates one billion Autopilot-assisted miles
Vehicle companies are big fans of marking achievements by mileage. Google's self-driving vehicles clocked up 1.2 million miles without getting a ticket back in 2015, earlier this year Waymo announced its self-driving cars had hit 10 million miles. Now, Tesla is upping the ante with news that its drivers have covered more than one billion miles with autopilot engaged.
Rachel England11.28.2018
Waymo reportedly returns safety drivers to its autonomous cars
Waymo is reportedly rolling out additional safety measures for its self-driving vehicle fleets, reintroducing safety drivers and installing cameras to monitor driver fatigue. The Information reports that these changes were put into place due to safety concerns, and they come after a handful of recent traffic incidents.
Mallory Locklear11.27.2018