DRIVERLESS taxis are taking on strange, human-like behaviors on the road in what is possibly an increased display of intelligence.
The new findings have been discovered in the popular Waymo cars that operate in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles, California.
It’s believed the AI-powered vehicles are starting to show an increased display of intelligence[/caption]
Drivers taxis have been found to take on strange, human-like behaviors on the road – including impatience[/caption]
Waymo prices itself on being safer than a regular, human driver thanks to its cautious approach to driving[/caption]
According to the Daily Mail, the study was first conducted by the University of San Francisco engineering Professor William Riggs and a reporter with the San Francisco Chronicle, after the pair noticed that a Waymo car they were traveling in crept to a rolling start at a pedestrian crossing – before the person in the road had reached the other footpath.
For the AI powered Waymo car, which prides itself on being safer than a regular, human driver thanks to its cautious approach to driving, the movement was somewhat peculiar – almost mimicking the way humans act behind the wheel in the same scenario.
In this instance, letting the foot gently off the brake and allowing the car to run at a rolling pace displays human-like impatience.
Rigg said: “From an evolutionary standpoint, you’re seeing a lot more anticipation and assertiveness from the vehicles.”
Waymo taxis – which are designed to gather information about road conditions, allowing for its algorithm to be fine-tuned – have been known to strictly follow the rules of the road, often much to the frustration of other motorists.
David Margines, the director of product management at Waymo, said human specialists who drive the cars to train them had to juggle two separate goals: to ensure that Waymo followed every traffic law, and, simultaneously, work to transport customers to a reasonable timeframe.
He said: “We imagined that it might be kind of a trade-off.
“It wasn’t that at all. Being an assertive driver means that you’re more predictable, that you blend into the environment, that you do things that you expect other humans on the road to do.”
In one of these examples, Waymo showcased its autonomous capabilities when one of its robotaxis stopped to avoid a collision with a car that swerved into its path.
However, it then honked its horn in a human-like manner – almost as if to express annoyance.
And while these behaviors demonstrate intelligence, they also raise concerns – especially in regards to mimicking poor human driving decisions.
Despite promoting safety, Waymo has been involved in 696 crashes since 2021, although the brand’s taxis have not necessarily always been at fault.
In one incident, a Waymo vehicle tragically struck and killed a small, off-leash dog – but only because the car’s tech failed to detect it.
Despite these incidents and concerns, Waymo is expanding – with the cars to soon arrive in Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Miami, Florida.
Meanwhile, Tesla is planning to launch its own robotaxis in Austin, powered by its Full Self-Driving (FSD) program.
But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently investigating Tesla’s FSD software after concerns were raised on its performance.
This include a request for more information on how it works.
Tesla is aiming to produce an autonomous model aptly named the Cybercab next year, with the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, predicting millions of fully autonomous Teslas will be launched by late next year.
The NHTSA’s investigation could delay the robotaxi rollout though, especially if Tesla fails to meet its June 19 deadline for providing a response.
Apple CarPlay vs Android Auto
Both are phone mirroring apps for both operating systems that allow drivers to access contacts, make calls, and use navigation apps.
Many manufacturers allow access to both apps wirelessly, and all infotainment systems mirror your phone with a USB connection.
The idea behind phone mirroring apps designed for in-car use is to reduce distracted driving by making essential apps easier to access.
Key features of both apps are:
- Audiobook app access
- Podcast app access
- Navigational access (Google or Apple maps, which have your personal information already implemented, like your home address, work address, recent searches, and more).
- Phone apps, with contacts, favorites, recent calls, and more preprogrammed.
- Messaging apps that can read text messages aloud and transcribe a response through the vehicle’s microphone.
- Music apps like Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music (iTunes), or others with your personal information, playlists, recent searches, and preferences built in.
- Calendar events, your car can alert you to an upcoming event or conference.
- Access to Google Assistant or Siri with vocal cues.
