Coches autónomos

[Cadavre Exquis]

A pesar del largo camino que queda por delante hasta que la tecnología , es evidente que el coche autónomo es ya una realidad.

He decidido crear este nuevo hilo con el objetivo de reunir en él todas las noticias que vayan apareciendo en relación con este nuevo medio de transporte.

Aunque todos conocemos ya los famosos seis niveles de autonomía, traigo al hilo algunas de las páginas del estandard J3016-202104 creado por la SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) en la que define Taxonomía y definiciones de términos relacionados con los sistemas de automatización de la conducción para vehículos de motor en carretera.

Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles J3016_202104

This document describes [motor] vehicle driving automation systems that perform part or all of the dynamic driving task (DDT) on a sustained basis. It provides a taxonomy with detailed definitions for six levels of driving automation, ranging from no driving automation (Level 0) to full driving automation (Level 5), in the context of [motor] vehicles (hereafter also referred to as “vehicle” or “vehicles”) and their operation on roadways:

• Level 0:
  No Driving Automation
• Level 1:
  Driver Assistance
• Level 2:
  Partial Driving Automation
• Level 3:
  Conditional Driving Automation
• Level 4:
  High Driving Automation
• Level 5:
  Full Driving Automation

These level definitions, along with additional supporting terms and definitions provided herein, can be used to describe the full range of driving automation features equipped on [motor] vehicles in a functionally consistent and coherent manner. “On-road” refers to publicly accessible roadways (including parking areas and private campuses that permit public access) that collectively serve all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and users of vehicles with and without driving automation features.

The levels apply to the driving automation feature(s) that are engaged in any given instance of on-road operation of an equipped vehicle. As such, although a given vehicle may be equipped with a driving automation system that is capable of delivering multiple driving automation features that perform at different levels, the level of driving automation exhibited in any given instance is determined by the feature(s) that are engaged.

This document also refers to three primary actors in driving: the (human) user, the driving automation system, and other vehicle systems and components. These other vehicle systems and components (or the vehicle in general terms) do not include the driving automation system in this model, even though as a practical matter a driving automation system may actually share hardware and software components with other vehicle systems, such as a processing module(s) or operating code.

The levels of driving automation are defined by reference to the specific role played by each of the three primary actors in performance of the DDT and/or DDT fallback. “Role” in this context refers to the expected role of a given primary actor, based on the design of the driving automation system in question and not necessarily to the actual performance of a given primary actor. For example, a driver who fails to monitor the roadway during engagement of a Level 1 adaptive cruise control (ACC) system still has the role of driver, even while s/he is neglecting it.

Active safety systems, such as electronic stability control (ESC) and automatic emergency braking (AEB), and certain types of driver assistance systems, such as lane keeping assistance (LKA), are excluded from the scope of this driving automation taxonomy because they do not perform part or all of the DDT on a sustained basis, but rather provide momentary intervention during potentially hazardous situations. Due to the momentary nature of the actions of active safety systems, their intervention does not change or eliminate the role of the driver in performing part or all of the DDT, and thus are not considered to be driving automation, even though they perform automated functions. In addition, systems that inform, alert, or warn the driver about hazards in the driving environment are also outside the scope of this driving automation taxonomy, as they neither automate part or all of the DDT, nor change the driver’s role in performance of the DDT (see 8.13).

It should be noted, however, that crash avoidance features, including intervention-type active safety systems, may be included in vehicles equipped with driving automation systems at any level. For automated driving system (ADS) features (i.e., Levels 3 to 5) that perform the complete DDT, crash mitigation and avoidance capability is part of ADS functionality (see also 8.13).

●●●

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Gartner Hype Cycle Reveals Rising Adoption and Fast-Growing Market for Advanced Mobile Robots for Supply Chains
STAMFORD, Conn., November 12, 2024

Focus on Artificial Intelligence and Automation Driving Innovation of Mobile Robotics in Supply Chain

Several mobile robotics technologies for supply chains will mature within the next two to five years, creating an accelerating market for increasingly capable mobile robots and drones, according to Gartner, Inc.

Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones is a graphical depiction of a common pattern that arises with each new technology or other innovation through five phases of maturity and adoption. Chief supply chain officers can use this research to find robotic solutions that meet their needs.

Technologies that have passed the Trough of Disillusionment and are progressing on the Slope of Enlightenment include: autonomous mobile robots for transport, collaborative in-aisle picking robots and mobile robotic goods to person systems (see Figure 1). The progression points to the benefits of these technologies becoming more widely understood.

“As organizations look to further improve logistic operations, support automation and augment humans in various jobs, supply chain leaders have turned to mobile robots to support their strategy,” said Dwight Klappich, VP Analyst and Gartner Fellow with the Gartner Supply Chain practice. “Mobile robots are continuing to evolve, becoming more powerful and practical, thus paving the way for continued technology innovation.”

Figure 1: Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones, 2024

Source: Gartner (November 2024)

Expanding Use of Automation and AI-Enabled Systems

On the rise this year are automation and AI solutions, such as autonomous data collection and inspection technologies, which are approaching the Peak of Inflated Expectations and expected to deliver benefits over the next five to 10 years.

Leveraging indoor-flying drones and mobile robots to autonomously capture data, the solutions use technologies like AI-enabled vision or RFID to supplement time-consuming inventory management, inspection and surveillance tasks. The technology can also alleviate safety concerns that arise in warehouses, such as workers counting inventory in hard-to-reach places.

“Automating labor-intensive tasks can provide notable benefits,” added Klappich. “With AI capabilities increasingly embedded in mobile robots and drones, the potential to function unaided and adapt to environments will make it possible to support a growing number of use cases.”

Humanoid Robots Demonstrate Potential for Further Automation

This year, humanoid robots have entered the Innovation Trigger on the Hype Cycle and are expected to have a transformational impact on supply chain. However, mainstream adoption may take 10 years or more.

Exploiting the human form factor and powered by AI, this generation of humanoid robots is striving to achieve the adaptability of the human workforce, flexibly supporting the needs of the business by dynamically moving between processes and taking on new activities without special programming.

“For supply chains with high-volume and predictable processes, humanoid robots have the potential to enhance or supplement the supply chain workforce,” Klappich noted. “However, while the pace of innovation is encouraging, the industry is years away from general-purpose humanoid robots being used in more complex retail and industrial environments.”

Gartner clients can read more in: Hype Cycle for Mobile Robots and Drones, 2024. Nonclients can learn more in: Supply Chain AI.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Where Can You Order a Robotaxi?
Katharina Buchholz · 202.10.10

Self-driving cars - in real-world applications as of now limited to robotaxis - are simultaneously existing and scary as technological and ethical implications around the subject are plentiful and recent accidents - for example of a Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco - have caused some hesitation among lawmakers and the public.

While aformentioned Cruise by GM has suspended operations in six U.S. cities after the October incident, competitor Waymo by Alphabet is still operating limited public operations of driverless taxis in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and new-addition Austin, Texas. A Las Vegas service by Motional was suspended in May.

In Chinese cities, it is already somewhat more normal to be able to board a robotaxi (or robobus) as several operators are vying for dominance and have expanded fleets. Apollo Go by Chinese tech company Baidu, one of the larger operators, currently has as many as 400 robotaxis on the road in the city of Wuhan. Several companies are operating public trials and services in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing. Smaller cities are also being included by some companies and they are also often where companies launched their first trial services. While initial trials were often free and even on an application basis, new low fare structures for robotaxis in China have already ruffled feathers with taxi drivers.

While reassessing Cruise was supposed to service Dubai, Chinese provider WeRide has run a public trial in Abu Dhabi. Singapore has a robobus service by the same company.

Many current robotaxis are limited to specific areas, times of day or distances and might have a remote safety operator, who under Chinese law can look after as many as three taxis. Some operations in China also include on-board safety drivers, which are present but are not needed for any specific maneuvers of the vehicle.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Should Waymo Robotaxis Always Stop For Pedestrians In Crosswalks?
Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday January 04, 2025 @06:41PM from the don't-walk dept.

"My feet are already in the crosswalk," says Geoffrey A. Fowler, a San Francisco-based tech columnist for the Washington Post. In a video he takes one step from the curb, then stops to see if Waymo robotaxis will stop for him. And they often didn't.

Waymo's position? Their cars consider "signals of pedestrian intent" including forward motion when deciding whether to stop — as well as other vehicles' speed and proximity. ("Do they seem like they're about to cross or are they just sort of milling around waiting for someone?") And Waymo "also said its car might decide not to stop if adjacent cars don't yield."

Fowler counters that California law says cars must always stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. ("It's classic Silicon Valley hubris to assume Waymo's ability to predict my behavior supersedes a law designed to protect me.") And Phil Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who conducts research on autonomous-vehicle safety, agrees that the Waymos should be stopping. "Instead of arguing that they shouldn't stop if human drivers are not going to stop, they could conspicuously stop for pedestrians who are standing on road pavement on a marked crosswalk. That might improve things for everyone by encouraging other drivers to do the same."

From Fowler's video:
I tried

crossing in front of Waymos here more than 20 times. About three in ten times the Waymo would stop for me, but I couldn't figure out what made it change its mind. Heavy traffic vs light, crossing with two people, sticking one foot out — all would cause it to stop only sometimes. I could make it stop by darting out into the street — but that's not how my mama taught me to use a crosswalk...

Look, I know many human drivers don't stop for pedestrians either. But isn't the whole point of having artificial intelligence robot drivers that they're safer because they actually follow the laws?

Waymo would not admit breaking any laws, but acknowledged "opportunity for continued improvement in how it interacts with pedestrians."

In an article accompanying the video, Fowler calls it "a cautionary tale about how AI, intended to make us more safe, also needs to learn how to coexist with us."
Waymo cars don't behave this way at all intersections. Some friends report that the cars are too careful on quiet streets, while others say the vehicles are too aggressive around schools... No

Waymo car has hit me, or any other person walking in a San Francisco crosswalk — at least so far. (It did strike a cyclist earlier this year.) The company touts that, as of October, its cars have 57 percent fewer police-reported crashes compared with a human driving the same distance in the cities where it operates.

Other interesting details from the article:

• Fowler suggests a way his crosswalk could be made safer: "a flashing light beacon there could let me flag my intent to both humans and robots."
• The article points out that Waymo is also under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "for driving in an unexpected and disruptive manner, including around traffic control devices (which includes road markings)."

At the same time, Fowler also acknowledges that "I generally find riding in a Waymo to be smooth and relaxing, and I have long assumed its self-driving technology is a net benefit for the city." His conclusion? "The experience has taught my family that the safest place around an autonomous vehicle is inside it, not walking around it."

And he says living in San Francisco lately puts him "in a game of chicken with cars driven by nothing but artificial intelligence."

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Man Trapped in Circling Waymo on Way to Airport
Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday January 05, 2025 @08:49PM from the I-love-L.A. dept.

It "felt like a Disneyland ride," reports CBS News. A man took a Waymo takes to the airport — only to discover the car "wouldn't stop driving around a parking lot in circles." And because the car was in motion, he also couldn't get out.

Still stuck in the car, Michael Johns — a tech-industry worker — then phoned Waymo for help. ("Has this been hacked? What's going on? I feel like I'm in the movies. Is somebody playing a joke on me?") But he also filmed the incident...

"Why is this thing going in a circle? I'm getting dizzy," Johns said in a video posted on social media that has since gone viral, garnering more than two million views and interactions....

The Waymo representative was finally able to get the car under control after a few minutes, allowing him to get to the airport just in time to catch his flight back to LA. He says that the lack of empathy from the representative who attempted to help him, on top of the point that he's unsure if he was talking to a human or AI, are major concerns. "Where's the empathy? Where's the human connection to this?" Johns said while speaking with CBS News Los Angeles. "It's just, again, a case of today's digital world. A half-baked product and nobody meeting the customer, the consumers, in the middle."

Johns, who ironically works in the tech industry himself, says he would love to see services like Waymo succeed, but he has no plans to hop in for a ride until he's sure that the kinks have been fixed. In the meantime, he's still waiting for someone from Waymo to contact him in regards to his concerns, which hasn't yet happened despite how much attention his video has attracted since last week.

"My Monday was fine till i got into one of Waymo 's 'humanless' cars," he posted on LinkedIn. "I get in, buckle up ( safety first) and the saga begins.... [T]he car just went around in circles, eight circles at that..."

A Waymo spokesperson admitted they'd added about five minutes to his travel time, but then "said the software glitch had since been resolved," reports the Los Angeles Times, "and that Johns was not charged for the ride."

One final irony? According to his LinkedIn profile, Johns is a CES Innovations Awards judge.

Saludos.

[Saturio]

Should Waymo Robotaxis Always Stop For Pedestrians In Crosswalks?
Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday January 04, 2025 @06:41PM from the don't-walk dept.

"My feet are already in the crosswalk," says Geoffrey A. Fowler, a San Francisco-based tech columnist for the Washington Post. In a video he takes one step from the curb, then stops to see if Waymo robotaxis will stop for him. And they often didn't.

Waymo's position? Their cars consider "signals of pedestrian intent" including forward motion when deciding whether to stop — as well as other vehicles' speed and proximity. ("Do they seem like they're about to cross or are they just sort of milling around waiting for someone?") And Waymo "also said its car might decide not to stop if adjacent cars don't yield."

Fowler counters that California law says cars must always stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. ("It's classic Silicon Valley hubris to assume Waymo's ability to predict my behavior supersedes a law designed to protect me.") And Phil Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who conducts research on autonomous-vehicle safety, agrees that the Waymos should be stopping. "Instead of arguing that they shouldn't stop if human drivers are not going to stop, they could conspicuously stop for pedestrians who are standing on road pavement on a marked crosswalk. That might improve things for everyone by encouraging other drivers to do the same."

From Fowler's video:
I tried

crossing in front of Waymos here more than 20 times. About three in ten times the Waymo would stop for me, but I couldn't figure out what made it change its mind. Heavy traffic vs light, crossing with two people, sticking one foot out — all would cause it to stop only sometimes. I could make it stop by darting out into the street — but that's not how my mama taught me to use a crosswalk...

Look, I know many human drivers don't stop for pedestrians either. But isn't the whole point of having artificial intelligence robot drivers that they're safer because they actually follow the laws?

Waymo would not admit breaking any laws, but acknowledged "opportunity for continued improvement in how it interacts with pedestrians."

In an article accompanying the video, Fowler calls it "a cautionary tale about how AI, intended to make us more safe, also needs to learn how to coexist with us."
Waymo cars don't behave this way at all intersections. Some friends report that the cars are too careful on quiet streets, while others say the vehicles are too aggressive around schools... No

Waymo car has hit me, or any other person walking in a San Francisco crosswalk — at least so far. (It did strike a cyclist earlier this year.) The company touts that, as of October, its cars have 57 percent fewer police-reported crashes compared with a human driving the same distance in the cities where it operates.

Other interesting details from the article:

• Fowler suggests a way his crosswalk could be made safer: "a flashing light beacon there could let me flag my intent to both humans and robots."
• The article points out that Waymo is also under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "for driving in an unexpected and disruptive manner, including around traffic control devices (which includes road markings)."

At the same time, Fowler also acknowledges that "I generally find riding in a Waymo to be smooth and relaxing, and I have long assumed its self-driving technology is a net benefit for the city." His conclusion? "The experience has taught my family that the safest place around an autonomous vehicle is inside it, not walking around it."

And he says living in San Francisco lately puts him "in a game of chicken with cars driven by nothing but artificial intelligence."

Saludos.

Qué problema más curioso. Sabemos que la IA incumple, por lo tanto permitimos que un determinado número de conductores robóticos incumplan. Sin embargo de los conductores humanos se supone que cumplen siempre hasta que se demuestre lo contrario.

[Cadavre Exquis]

https://www.pressreader.com/spain/expansion-nacional/20250108/page/12/textview

Nvidia busca liderar la IA en robótica y vehículos autónomos

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Waymo lands first Chinese EV in the US to beat Tesla Cybercab to the punch with Nvidia Thor-powered Zeekr RT
The first passenger vehicle that is purpose-built for autonomy from the ground up won't come in the US from Tesla but rather Waymo and Zeekr.

Daniel Zlatev, · 2025.01.09

First Chinese EV brand to make it in the US will be Waymo's RT robovan (Image source: Zeekr)

Waymo will score both the first mass-produced autonomous passenger vehicle and what might be the first electric vehicle from a Chinese company to officially make it to the US in numbers.

This became clear from Zeekr's CES 2025 expo announcements, where it revealed that the first robotic minivan built for autonomy from the ground up is based on its Mix passenger vehicle that has been on sale since October. It comes with 76 kWh battery and fast 13-minute charging, as well as numerous flexible seating and cargo configurations.

The Mix-based Zeekr RT (for Robotic Taxi) will also beat the Tesla Robovan that Elon Musk teased during the Cybercab unveiling event to the punch, joining the Waymo fleet of autonomous vehicles for testing en masse later this year. Tesla's Robovan, on the other hand, doesn't even have a release date, while the Cybercab only has a tentative one for 2026, so the Zeekr RT could be the only viable alternative in the US until then.

Zeekr is trying to make Waymo's approval process for putting the RT on public roads as smooth as possible by equipping it with redundant steering, braking, and power supply, as well as failsafe operation algorithms in the US. This is in stark contrast with the Cybercab that Tesla is now trying to get approved without a steering wheel, pedals, or charging port.

The Zeekr robotaxi display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, however, says that it plans to remove the steering wheel and pedals from Waymo's RT robovan when federal regulations allow it "in the future."

Besides being the first robotaxi in mass production, the RT will also be powered by the first custom vehicle autonomy kit that Zeekr based on the new Nvidia Thor self-driving chip architecture. Nvidia says that the Thor Blackwell processor is capable of 1,000 TFLOPS of AI computing power, which can be flexibly distributed between self-driving and in-car infotainment duties according to the manufacturer's needs.

The Zeekr RT robovan is based on the $39,000 Zeekr Mix passenger minivan that it also brought to the ongoing CES 2025 expo in Las Vegas for all visitors to see and test.

Waymo's robovan by Zeekr would be the first Chinese EV brand to make it to the US

Zeekr plans to remove the steering wheel and pedals from Waymo's RT robovan when federal regulations allow it

Zeekr's custom self-driving domain controller with NVIDIA Thor AI chip

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Bad Week for Unoccupied Waymo Cars: One Hit in Fatal Collision, One Vandalized by Mob
Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday January 26, 2025 @04:52PM from the moving-violations dept.

For the first time in America, an empty self-driving car has been involved in a fatal collision. But it was "hit from behind by a speeding car that was going about 98 miles per hour," a local news site reports, citing comments from Waymo. ("Two other victims were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. A dog also died in the crash, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.")

Waymo's self-driving car "is not being blamed," notes NBC Bay Area. Instead the Waymo car was one of six vehicles "struck when a fast-moving vehicle slammed into a line of cars stopped at a traffic light..."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires self-driving car companies, like Waymo, to report each time their vehicles are involved in an accident, regardless of whether the autonomous vehicle was at fault. According to NHTSA, which began collecting such data in July 2021, Waymo's driverless vehicles have been involved in about 30 different collisions resulting in some type of injury. Waymo, however, has noted that nearly all those crashes, like Sunday's collision, were the fault of other cars driven by humans. While NHTSA's crash data doesn't note whether self-driving vehicles may have been to blame, Waymo has previously noted that it only expects to pay out insurance liability claims for two previous collisions involving its driverless vehicles that resulted in injuries.

In December, Waymo touted the findings of its latest safety analysis, which determined its fleet of driverless cars continue to outperform human drivers across major safety metrics. The report, authored by Waymo and its partners at the Swiss Reinsurance Company, reviewed insurance claim data to explore how often human drivers and autonomous vehicles are found to be liable in car collisions. According to the study, Waymo's self-driving vehicles faced about 90% fewer insurance claims relating to property damage and bodily injuries compared to human drivers... The company's fleet of autonomous vehicles have traveled more than 33 million miles and have provided more than five million rides across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin...

In California, there are more than 30 companies currently permitted by the DMV to test driverless cars on the open road. While most are still required to have safety drivers sitting in the front seat who can take over when needed, Waymo remains the only fleet of robotaxis in California to move past the state's testing phase to, now, regularly offer paid rides to passengers.

Their article adds that while Sunday's collision marks the first fatal crash involving a driverless car, "it was nearly seven years ago when another autonomous vehicle was involved in a deadly collision with a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, though that self-driving car had a human safety driver behind the wheel. The accident, which occurred in March 2018, involved an autonomous car from Uber, which sold off its self-driving division two years later to a competitor."

In other news, an unoccupied Waymo vehicle was attacked by a mob in Los Angeles last night, according to local news reports. "Video footage of the incident appears to show the vehicle being stripped of its door, windows shattered, and its Jaguar emblems removed. The license plate was also damaged, and the extent of the vandalism required the vehicle to be towed from the scene."

The Los Angeles Times reminds its readers that "Last year, a crowd in San Francisco's Chinatown surrounded a Waymo car, vandalized it and then set it ablaze..."

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Waymo's autonomous robotaxis are starting to merge onto LA freeways
For starters, only employees can take highway routes.

Anna Washenko · 2025.01.28

Waymo

Waymo posted on X today that it has opened fully autonomous rides on LA freeways to its employees. The company noted that this is a preliminary step toward bringing its vehicle fleet onto highways for all passengers in the city.

After getting approval to begin local robotaxi operation in March 2024, Waymo offered autonomous rides in LA at a small scale, with a waitlist for interested customers. In November, the waitlist ended so any Angelenos could call for a ride. But for a sprawling city like LA, having access to a highway is all but essential for getting around, so adding freeways to the cars' capability would mark a big improvement in how useful Waymo robotaxis will be there.

Waymo, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, has set its sights on its first international expansion. The business said it anticipates starting vehicle tests and mapping in Japan early this year. On the home front, Waymo is also slated to launch in Austin and Atlanta in early 2025.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Waymo to test its driverless system in ten new cities in 2025
It starts in San Diego and Las Vegas.

Lawrence Bonk · 2025.01.29

Waymo

Waymo is planning on bringing vehicles to ten new cities in 2025, according to a report by The Verge. This new testing phase starts in Las Vegas and San Diego. These won’t be pure robotaxis, as they’ll have a manual operator.

It’s basically a small-scale experiment by the company to collect data and see how the self-driving system adapts to new locations, regional driving habits and unique weather patterns. All told, the company will be sending around ten vehicles to each new city. “So what we’re looking for is places that are going to challenge our system and look very, very different,” said Nick Rose, product manager for Waymo’s expansion efforts.

To that point, Las Vegas is known for dense traffic and plenty of chaos surrounding drop-off zones near hotels and casinos. San Diego is similar to locations in which the Alphabet-owned company already operates, like Phoenix, but it wants to validate that the system performs well “without having a ton of prior driving information.”

It plans on bringing the service to Miami, along with Austin and Atlanta. Waymo hasn’t announced the remaining cities, but the system sure could use more testing in some of the colder parts of the country. The company has done some winter testing in upstate New York and Michigan, but that's about it. It also recently announced it would start to test driverless cars in Tokyo, but we aren’t sure if that counts as one of the ten new cities.

It’s extremely important for the company to test in multiple cities. This is to account for unique traffic conditions and weather, of course, but also for inconsistencies that can trip up driverless systems. For instance, fire trucks and ambulances tend to look slightly different across cities and states. Waymo, after all, hasn’t always had the best track record when it comes to emergency vehicles.

This is just the latest move to ensure that driverless cars are ready for primetime. The company recently started bringing its robotaxis onto Los Angeles highways.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Driverless Model Y Juniper and Model 3 set to launch paid Tesla robotaxi service in Texas
The robotaxi fleet will start testing Tesla's upcoming Cybercab ride-share platform in June to iron out its kinks before the general Model Y or Model 3 owning public can hop on and loan it their vehicles for money.

Daniel Zlatev · 2025.01.30

2026 Model Y may be part of Tesla's autonomous ride-share fleet (Image source: GeekLaii/Weibo)

When Elon Musk took the stage at the October 10 Cybercab unveiling event, he said that Tesla intends to bring unsupervised FSD this year as the basis for a robotaxi ride-share platform.

At the Q4 earnings call, he now pegged a release date for the launch of autonomous Teslas with no driver on public roads, or the so-called unsupervised FSD.

According to Elon Musk, Tesla will have a fleet of its own vehicles, likely consisting of the 2026 Model Y and the refreshed Model 3 that have HW4 kits, launch on the streets of Austin in June.

Like I said, the Teslas will be in the wild with no one in them, in June in Austin... And while we're stepping into - putting our toe in the water gently at first, just to make sure everything's cool, our solution is a generalized AI solution. It does not require high precision maps of a locality. So we just want to be cautious. It's not that it doesn't work beyond Austin. In fact, it does. We just want to be, put a toe in the water, make sure everything is okay, then put a few more toes in the water, then put a foot in the water with safety of the general public and those in the car as our top priority.

The Uber-like robotaxi ride-share service with Tesla owned and operated vehicles will then expand to California and across the US by the end of the year.

When Tesla is comfortable with the quality of its unsupervised FSD and ride-share platform, such as safety, daily hailing operations, and payment system, it will open the fleet to the general Tesla owning public next year, added Elon:

It'll be our fleet testing it. That's our sort of toe in the water. We'll be scrutinizing it very carefully and make sure it's not something we missed. But it will be, autonomous ride-hailing for money in Austin in June. And then as shortly as possible other cities in America. And I expect us to be operating, doing unsupervised activity with our internal fleet in several cities by the end of the year. Then it's probably next year when people are able to add or subtract their car from the fleet... And a lot of it is, it's not like we're not splitting the atom here. It's just a bunch of work that needs to be done to make sure the whole thing works efficiently, that people can order the car. It comes, it's the right spot, does exactly the right thing. All the payment systems work. The billing works.

Initially, Tesla said that it will launch unsupervised FSD for the Cybercab ride-share platform in Texas and California, as that is where there are either autonomous vehicle regulations already in place, or a lack thereof. It has evidently decided to introduce the pilot unsupervised FSD fleet in a place where there aren't too many rules about it, like Texas.

Tesla did a training session with first responders in Austin on how to react to autonomous vehicles without drivers in December, which was another hint that it had chosen Texas for the inaugural robotaxi platform launch.

The service will start with Tesla's own vehicles first, then add private cars of those who would be willing to loan them on the platform for anywhere between a few hours to a few months in 2026, and, finally, bring the Cybercab two-seater that has no steering wheel or pedals into the fold, ostensibly in 2026 as well.

Saludos.

[Saturio]

Tesla intends to bring unsupervised FSD this year as the basis for a robotaxi ride-share platform.

Tesla will have a fleet of its own vehicles, likely consisting of the 2026 Model Y and the refreshed Model 3 that have HW4 kits, launch on the streets of Austin in June.

Teslas will be in the wild with no one in them, in June in Austin... ]

The Uber-like robotaxi ride-share service with Tesla owned and operated vehicles will then expand to California and across the US by the end of the year.

, it will open the fleet to the general Tesla owning public next year,

 But it will be, autonomous ride-hailing for money in Austin in June.

..operating, doing unsupervised activity with our internal fleet in several cities by the end of the year.

 next year when people are able to add or subtract their car from the fleet...

Y para 2027 el servicio estará disponible en Marte.

[pollo]

Si es que la omnipresencia de los "test" ya da a entender que no se fían ni se pueden fiar.

Mientras tanto, alargan la beta indefinida dando a entender que tienen ya una fecha en la que podrán soltar los coches sin ninguna supervisión.

Es muy sencillo, si tuvieran lo que afirmaban que iban a tener, ya estaría funcionando en todos los putos sitios sin excepción y ya se habría pasado la fase de pruebas.

O dicho de otro modo: si se hubiesen acercado sólo un poco a lo que prometían, la fase de test ya se habría terminado hace cuatro años como mínimo.

Lo que ha ocurrido es que los vendemotos profesionales (en este caso los propios CEOs) subestimaron la dificultad del problema, y en una maniobra clásica que ya le sonará a los informáticos del foro, prometieron el producto ya terminado cuando los curritos (los matemáticos y programadores que son los que realmente tienen los conocimientos y tienen las neuronas, no los payasos con dinero que les mandan) ya les habían advertido que no sabían si lo tenían claro.

Eso y la mentalidad subnormal imperante de pensamiento mágico y de que todo se consigue a base de desearlo muy fuerte e ir al gimnasio y hacer maratones para demostrárselo, como si avanzar en problemas extremadamente complejos fuese cosa de ponerle voluntad y punto. Como disentir o discrepar (o simplemente ser realista) en este tipo de ambientes es poco menos que una herejía, todo el mundo dijo "ok" y ahora siguen remando con un paradigma que nunca va a dar lo que prometían.

Aquí no tienen el recurso de compensar las carencias usando un modelo que obtiene un 10% más de calidad a cambio de meter 200 veces más recursos, porque el coche tiene que manejarse localmente en todo momento. De hecho los chinos han demostrado que ese enfoque (meter más y más potencia a modelos más y más complejos puestos detrás de una barrera web de pago) es un callejón sin salida y que realmente están dando palos de ciego, que es lo que llevo sospechando desde que las promesas no llegaban a tiempo en ninguno de los casos.

Ese 5% del problema absolutamente crítico no tienen ni idea de cómo resolverlo.

Por otro lado, todas las empresas se salvaguardan el culo haciendo una trampa intelectual que da a entender la filfa de todo esto: cambiar la definición de AGI a la que ellos les conviene, para que no se note mucho que lo que llevan prometiendo años no se va a materializar con los LLM y demás técnicas similares.

Eso sí, para problemas concretos son la hostia (y siempre con un humano pensante que supervise). Pero es que lo de plegar moléculas no da titulares grandilocuentes.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Cruise To Slash Workforce By Nearly 50% After GM Cuts Funding To Robotaxi Operations
Posted by msmash on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @01:40PM from the tough-luck dept.

Autonomous vehicle company Cruise will lay off about half of its 2,100 employees and remove several top executives, including CEO Marc Whitten, as parent company General Motors shifts away from robotaxi development to focus on personal autonomous vehicles.

The cuts come two months after GM said it would stop funding Cruise's robotaxi program to [ur=https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/01/31/1925213/cruise-faces-long-road-back-to-city-streets-in-wake-of-safety-reviewl]save $1 billion annually[/url]. Affected workers will receive severance packages including eight weeks of pay and benefits through April. The restructuring follows an October incident where a Cruise vehicle dragged a pedestrian, leading to the suspension of its permits.

Saludos.