Waymo issued a software program recall on 1,200 self-driving autos after a few of its robotaxis have been concerned in minor collisions with gates, chains, and different gate-like roadway objects.
The software program replace, which was first reported by Reuters, was carried out late final yr, based on paperwork filed with the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration. The Alphabet-owned firm mentioned within the doc that Waymo’s Security Board determined to conduct a recall to that particular model of driverless software program to “fulfill related regulatory reporting obligations.”
NHTSA opened a preliminary analysis into Waymo’s automated driving system final Might after studying of seven incidents through which robotaxis had collided with “stationary and semi-stationary objects equivalent to gates and chains” between December 2022 and April 2024. None of those resulted in damage, based on NHTSA.
In November 2024, Waymo rolled out a software program replace to its fleet of robotaxis, which numbered 1,200 on the time. The software program replace considerably decreased the chance of these kind of occasion, based on paperwork filed with NHTSA. At present, Waymo has 1,500 industrial robotaxis in operation in Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
Software program updates have been in progress on the time NHTSA’s examination started, based on the paperwork. The corporate had ongoing discussions with NHTSA concerning the analysis of comparative danger for autonomous autos and supplied the company with info concerning 9 further collisions with these sorts of barrieres, which occurred between February 2024 and December 2024.
Waymo has issued a minimum of two different remembers. The corporate issued a software program recall in June 2024 to its Jaguar I-Tempo robotaxis after considered one of them collided with a phone pole. Waymo additionally recalled earlier software program in February 2024 after two of its robotaxis crashed into the identical pickup truck that was being towed by a tow truck.