US Robotaxis Get London-Specific Training Before Planned Rollout This Year
In a bid to crack the lucrative UK market, US self-driving ride-hailing company Waymo has been secretly training its robotaxis to navigate the city's unique streets. The cars, equipped with cameras, radar, and lidar sensors, have been taken for a spin around London over the past two months to "learn the nuances" of zebra crossings and other road markings.
The training comes as Waymo waits for government legislation permitting driverless cars on UK streets for the first time. The company hopes to start taking paying customers in the last quarter of this year, marking its first rollout outside the US.
According to Ben Loewenstein, head of EU and UK policy and government affairs at Waymo, the training has been essential in helping the cars understand the intricacies of London's medieval streets and the unique interaction between drivers and pedestrians.
In contrast to crosswalks in the US, zebra crossings in London rely on Belisha beacons – flashing yellow orbs on striped poles – and a subtle eye contact-based interaction between driver and pedestrian about who has right of way.
Waymo unveiled one of its Jaguar cars at the London Transport Museum, which are equipped with advanced sensors that allow them to "perceive the world around them more accurately" than human drivers. However, concerns have been raised by the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA), which opposes the rollout and has described robotaxis as a "fairground ride".
The government is still awaiting secondary legislation to allow driverless cars to operate on UK streets, but Transport for London has expressed some optimism about the technology's potential. The Department for Transport has confirmed that it will launch a passenger piloting scheme this spring to test the safety and security of self-driving cars.
Waymo is in discussions with Transport for London, which has raised concerns about new risks materializing on UK roads, including increased congestion and reduced accessibility.
In a bid to crack the lucrative UK market, US self-driving ride-hailing company Waymo has been secretly training its robotaxis to navigate the city's unique streets. The cars, equipped with cameras, radar, and lidar sensors, have been taken for a spin around London over the past two months to "learn the nuances" of zebra crossings and other road markings.
The training comes as Waymo waits for government legislation permitting driverless cars on UK streets for the first time. The company hopes to start taking paying customers in the last quarter of this year, marking its first rollout outside the US.
According to Ben Loewenstein, head of EU and UK policy and government affairs at Waymo, the training has been essential in helping the cars understand the intricacies of London's medieval streets and the unique interaction between drivers and pedestrians.
In contrast to crosswalks in the US, zebra crossings in London rely on Belisha beacons – flashing yellow orbs on striped poles – and a subtle eye contact-based interaction between driver and pedestrian about who has right of way.
Waymo unveiled one of its Jaguar cars at the London Transport Museum, which are equipped with advanced sensors that allow them to "perceive the world around them more accurately" than human drivers. However, concerns have been raised by the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA), which opposes the rollout and has described robotaxis as a "fairground ride".
The government is still awaiting secondary legislation to allow driverless cars to operate on UK streets, but Transport for London has expressed some optimism about the technology's potential. The Department for Transport has confirmed that it will launch a passenger piloting scheme this spring to test the safety and security of self-driving cars.
Waymo is in discussions with Transport for London, which has raised concerns about new risks materializing on UK roads, including increased congestion and reduced accessibility.
I'm low-key excited about Waymo's plan to roll out robotaxis in London this year! 
But also kinda worried about the challenges they'll face, especially with zebra crossings being so different from what they're used to in the US 
. The Belisha beacons thing is a bit trippy, but I guess that's all part of making sure everyone stays safe on the roads 
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. But at the same time, it's amazing to think about how far tech has come, and that we're living in a world where robots can drive taxis! 
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. Fingers crossed it'll all work out smoothly, and we get to enjoy some futuristic ride-hailing experiences 
!
y'all gotta chill out about Waymo's robotaxis comin' to London! I mean, they're actually doin' somethin' good, takin' the time to train 'em on those crazy zebra crossings 
. Those Belisha beacons can be trippy, but hey, at least they're tryin' 
. The gov's got its act together, too – a pilot scheme in spring sounds like a solid way to test things out 
... and who knows? Maybe these robotaxis could even help with congestion 
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- is it just me or does that sound kinda awkward for AI systems?
I mean, I get that US cars need to learn the London way, but come on! They're like, expecting us Brits to just let robots drive around our streets without a care in the world? 
I've seen those Belisha beacons and it's not exactly rocket science, mate. It's all about eye contact and who gets priority. Like, what's so hard about that?! 
...it's not just about throwing tech at a problem, it's about understanding the people involved too 
...of course, there are valid concerns from the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, but I think Waymo is trying to be responsible 
...but ultimately, we need to see how these robotaxis will affect our streets and who they'll serve 
. Anyway, it's cool that Waymo is giving their robotaxis some London-specific training. Maybe they'll even learn how to avoid hitting all the tourists taking selfies in front of Big Ben 
. Maybe Waymo's got it all figured out? Maybe we'll just have to wait and see 
. waymo's gotta make sure they're not putting people in harm's way just to save a buck
... hopefully they'll crack the code on how to keep everyone safe on uk roads
! They're learning all about those super specific Belisha beacons and eye contact thingy... who knew drivers had to do more than just look both ways 
. Lets hope Waymo's training pays off and we'll be zooming around in robotaxis like pros soon 
. And what about the accessibility thing - that's not exactly something to gloss over. Still, it's interesting to see how they're tackling these concerns.