Despite what Elon Musk may have led you to believe, fully autonomous vehicles are still a long way from hitting the mainstream and this video shows that Waymo’s robotaxis, while impressive, are still far from perfect.
This clip was recently uploaded to YouTuber JJRicks Studios who was taking a ride in one of the Chrysler Pacifica robotaxis that are officially dubbed the ‘Waymo Driver’ by Alphabet’s self-driving car division. For the first 10 minutes or so, the fully autonomous taxi does an impressive job of navigating the streets.
However, at the 12-minute mark, the Waymo Driver grinds to a halt while attempting to make a right-hand turn. You see, while the autonomous Pacifica performed a number of right turns earlier in the video, it was confused with this particular turn because the right lane it would have turned into was blocked off by a series of cones. The vehicle’s various sensors took note of these cones but didn’t know how to respond to them.
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It eventually attempted to make the turn but stopped between the cones, prompting the rider to call for the roadside assistance team. Soon after, the robotaxi sorted itself out and managed to continue on its way but after just a few blocks, it stopped once again due to more cones blocking the right lane.
“While driving fully autonomously through an extended work zone, the Waymo Driver detected an unusual situation and requested the attention of a remote Fleet Response specialist to provide additional information,” Waymo said in a statement regarding the issues. “During that interaction the Fleet Response team provided incorrect guidance, which made it challenging for the Waymo Driver to resume its intended route, and required Waymo’s Roadside Assistance team to complete the trip.”