In an airport parking lot, a Waymo self-driving taxi circled for more than five minutes as a passenger wanted to get out.
When technology goes wrong, the result can sometimes make you smile, except for the passenger who is going around in circles. The passenger of an autonomous taxi Waymo was heading towards a airport when he had a totally unique experience.
A surreal situation in a Waymo taxi
In December 2024Mike Johns, an American citizen, ordered a Waymo autonomous taxi to reach the airport. However, he found himself stuck in an absurd loop. When he arrived at his destination, the vehicle suddenly lost its head. He started to go around in circles in a parking lot, unable to stop or locate a point to drop off the passenger. In a video shared on his X account (formerly Twitter), Mike filmed the scene and spoke about it. situation folle :
“I had no control, and the seat belt prevented me from moving.”
Despite his efforts to understand the situation, no clear explanation was given to him on site. It remains to be seen whether it was a software bug or a clumsy attempt to find a free space in the parking lot. In any case, Waymo did not specify the reason. On the internet, the scene sparked many reactions. As for Mike, he was starting to feel dizzy before boarding his plane.
A technology that can still be improved
Ultimately, the problem was resolved thanks to a software update carried out remotely by the Waymo team. It lasted about five minutes, but it seemed interminable for Mike who was inside the autonomous taxi. During the one minute and a half video, the taxi had already made five complete turns of the parking. Moreover, what struck Mike the most was Waymo’s response:
“They asked me to solve the problem myself with my smartphone!”
Even though Waymo’s autonomous taxis promise a revolution in transportation, this incident shows that challenges are still to be overcome, particularly in the management of unforeseen. Waymo is one of the leaders in the sector which invests massively to make its vehicles more reliable. However, these kinds of mishaps tarnish the image of a supposedly infallible system.
Unfortunately, this type of incident fuels the fears public regarding autonomous technologies. For many, the idea of being driven by a machine without human control remains a major psychological obstacle. For Mike Johns, this story has a happy ending but it proves that there is still a need to improve reliability and the communication around autonomous cars.
Source: www.autoplus.fr
