Waymo issued a software program recall on 1,200 self-driving automobiles 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, in response to paperwork filed with the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration (NHTSA). 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 Could after studying of seven incidents wherein 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, in response to 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 some of these occasion, in response to paperwork filed with NHTSA. As we speak, Waymo has 1,500 business 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, in response to the paperwork. The corporate had ongoing discussions with NHTSA concerning the analysis of comparative danger for autonomous automobiles and offered the company with data concerning 9 extra collisions with these sorts of obstacles, which occurred between February 2024 and December 2024.
Waymo has issued at the least two different recollects. The corporate issued a software recall in June 2024 to its Jaguar I-Tempo robotaxis after one in every of them collided with a phone pole. Waymo additionally recalled previous software in February 2024 after two of its robotaxis crashed into the identical pickup truck that was being towed by a tow truck.