Take Waymo to airport. What could possibly go wrong?

oldbrownhat

oldbrownhat

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Tech entrepreneur trapped in circling self-driving car on way to airport: 'I feel like I'm in the movies'

Mike Johns was heading to the airport in a self-operating "Waymo" taxi on his way home from Scottsdale, Ariz., last month when the rogue vehicle began driving in circles, causing him to make a panicked call for help.

"I got a flight to catch. Why is this thing going in a circle? I'm getting dizzy," Johns said to a Waymo customer-service representative from the backseat of the spinning vehicle...

The rep was eventually able to get control of the vehicle after a few minutes, with just enough time for Johns to get on his flight home to LA, according to CBS...

The vehicle made "eight circles," according to Johns' LinkedIn post. "It felt like a scene in a sci-fi thriller."​


Sounds like something from The Outer Limits. "There is nothing wrong with your television set vehicle. You are about to participate in a great adventure..."
 
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So, you get a ride from someplace called, essentially, the direction one of the Three Stooges would travel, and you're upset when it gets a little funny?:D:D:D
 
We saw a Waymo running all over the Scottsdale area a few months ago. Was it the same one, no idea.
Weirdest thing, no driver nor passenger.

 
Rudi said:
This tech is far from ready use.
Click to expand...

An airliner was sitting on the tarmac, waiting in line for takeoff. All of a sudden a message came over the PA system:

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Flight 797. Today's flight will be controlled by our new Autonomous Operating System, or AOS. The AOS is a new system that will control this flight without the intervention of any human operators. This will eliminate any incidents related to human error. So sit back, relax, and remember, nothing can go wrong . . go wrong . . . go wrong."
 
I was in San Francisco last October, and saw a number of Waymo taxis in operation. I later read that they are particularly popular among young women traveling home late at night because they do not have the risk of the driver harassing them.

On the other hand, I also read an article about occasional cases of men in cars confounding Waymo taxis with women in them as a form of harassment, or following the Waymos to their destinations, frightening the female passengers. Such cases of harassment seem to be very rare though.

Personally, I like the idea of self-driving cars. I'd like a car that I could either drive or put on autopilot, depending on how I was feeling at the time.
 
I passed a Tesla the other day,which the driver had both hands behind his head and kicked back. I thought briefly but I know better, but I couldn't help thinking about cutting in front of him and slowing down to see what happens. But I didn't.
 
Walkin Horse said:
I passed a Tesla the other day,which the driver had both hands behind his head and kicked back. I thought briefly but I know better, but I couldn't help thinking about cutting in front of him and slowing down to see what happens. But I didn't.
Click to expand...

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Walkin Horse said:
I passed a Tesla the other day,which the driver had both hands behind his head and kicked back. I thought briefly but I know better, but I couldn't help thinking about cutting in front of him and slowing down to see what happens. But I didn't.
Click to expand...

I read a little while back that Tesla's don't always "see" motorcycles and they are a big hazard to bikes. I make sure when I'm on my bike that I give them a wide berth. Not a fan of self driving anything.
 
I beat a Waymo to a four-way stop by several car lengths. As I took my foot off of the brake to proceed, the Waymo went on through anyway.

I was once waiting to exit a business onto a one-way street, right-turn. Suddenly, a Waymo juked around me on my left, cutting me off like I was some sort of 'obstacle'. The passenger in the front seat shrugged with his best look of "I don't KNOW, Bro....sorry!" :D

I've also come acros a couple in paralysis, blocking lanes at intersections, or access within a parking lot. Here's just one such story......

Your browser is not supported | azcentral.com
 
The concept may be OK, but it's the execution I worry about.

My biggest worry with all this "internet of things" permanently-connected stuff is, what happens of there's an internet outage? More than just being convenient, we are increasingly dependent on being connected 24-7. I'm no conspiracy theory enthusiast, but we are being warned about cybercrime. (Disabling the JD tractors in Russia comes to mind, even though it was done by "the good guys.":)) If the guy in the story hadn't been able to connect to Waymo Central, he'd presumably continue circling (the drain) until the battery or gas ran out, and that might not have happened in a convenient place. Can you imagine that on a busy freeway or downtown New York? :eek:
 
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