Waymo Pays Workers $22 To Close Doors on Stranded Robotaxis (msn.com)
- Reference: 0180455419
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/25/1541258/waymo-pays-workers-22-to-close-doors-on-stranded-robotaxis
- Source link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/when-robot-taxis-get-stuck-a-secret-army-of-humans-comes-to-the-rescue/ar-AA1T0Xwv
Tow operators also retrieve Waymos that run out of battery before reaching charging stations, earning $60 to $80 per tow -- rates that aren't always profitable after factoring in fuel and labor. During a San Francisco power outage last weekend, multiple operators received a flurry of retrieval requests as robotaxis [2]blocked intersections across the city . One San Francisco tow company manager declined because Waymo's offered rate fell below his standard $250 flatbed fee.
Waymo said in a blog post that the outage caused a "backlog" in requests to remote human workers who help vehicles navigate defunct traffic signals. San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood called for a hearing into Waymo's operations, saying the traffic disruptions were "dangerous and unacceptable." A retired Carnegie Mellon engineering professor who studied autonomous vehicles for nearly 30 years said paying humans to close doors and retrieve stalled cars is expensive and will need to be minimized as Waymo scales up. The company is testing next-generation Zeekr vehicles in San Francisco that feature automatic sliding doors.
[1] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/when-robot-taxis-get-stuck-a-secret-army-of-humans-comes-to-the-rescue/ar-AA1T0Xwv
[2] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/21/2048257/confused-waymos-stopped-in-intersections-during-san-francisco-power-outage
They've never been to Japan? (Score:2)
Every Japanese taxi has a lever that the driver can use to open and close the passenger door without getting out of the car.
And yes, generally there is only one passenger door and it is the one back and on the left, the one that is on the sidewalk side. The drivers get really upset if you ride shotgun or try to get out on the other side.
Ya think ... (Score:2)
> pay tow truck operators around $20 to $24 through an app called Honk just to push a door shut.
... some enterprising bicycle messengers can make a few easy bucks on the side by just riding by and kicking a car door? With much lower overhead as well.
Heck, they do this for free in my town.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, paying drivers of gigantic trucks to do something that can much better be done by people on bikes or on foot is a very American solution to the problem.
Good for the goose... (Score:2)
> During a San Francisco power outage last weekend, multiple operators received a flurry of retrieval requests as robotaxis blocked intersections across the city.
Seems to me that tow truck operators should charge Waymo surge pricing...
Don't they know how to close a door remotely? (Score:2)
Don't they know how to close a door remotely? Move forward a few feet. Rapidly accelerate backwards and then slam on the brakes hard.
Better yet, install door closer mechanisms like Tesla uses. It can't be that expensive. At that price, ten closes per door would just about cover the parts cost of doing it right.
Re: (Score:2)
That Tesla doesnt make the robotic doors from the Model X standard (the front ones not the back ones) across its entire fleet is IMHO a huge mistake. How can a robot that looks like a car NOT have robotic doors? I have two Model X's and that is one of the best features ever.
Re: (Score:2)
The Tesla Cybercab will allegedly come with automatic doors, which I think is a good move.
Re: (Score:2)
Better yet, install door closer mechanisms like Tesla uses. It can't be that expensive.
The article mentions seatbelts jammed in doors. Personally I think Tesla should make clear instructions to the passenger to ensure the door is fully closed before leaving. And if the passenger chooses to disobey the directive, then the passenger should be responsible to pay a charge for this.
At this point it is not Waymo's responsibility to implement a risky forced closing mechanism. If the passenger neglects the
Re: (Score:2)
> If the passenger neglects the door, then the passenger pays $50 in costs to get it closed + the costs in lost fares + overhead fees to have Waymo's providers shut it.
Yeah, that's not going to happen. Waymo is going to figure out a way to have the door close correctly in the next iteration of the hardware. Of all the difficulties of self-driving cars, that one is definitely solvable.