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Waymo And Tesla 'Autonomous Cabs' Are Piloted By Remote Drivers

First Waymo, and then Tesla, revealed something startling about their fully autonomous taxis - they are piloted by human operators when they get into trouble!


(Tele-driver sits in front of multiple screens tele-driving)

  • Waymo’s impressive performance comes with an asterisk. While no one was behind the wheel during my rides, Waymo has remote operators that sometimes provide guidance to its vehicles (Waymo declined to tell me whether—or how often—remote operators intervened during my rides). And while Tesla’s FSD works on all road types, Waymo’s taxis avoid freeways.
    ('Autonomous' Waymo Improves Driving With Remote Human Operators)
  • Tesla has confirmed through a new job listing that it plans to establish a ‘teleoperation’ team to remote control its upcoming robotaxi fleet.
    (Has Musk Given Up On Full Self Driving (FSD)?)
Science fiction fans will not be surprised that this was predicted in 1957 in The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick:

Beam started slowly back toward his lab. Then, abruptly, he changed his mind and turned in the direction of the business area. When a free-wheeling cab came by, he hailed it and clambered in.

“Where to, sport?” the starter at cab relay asked. City cabs were guided by remote control from one central source.
(Read more about remote control taxis)

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