Zoox Robotaxis Are Hitting Public Roads. I Took an Early Test Ride

[@CNET]

Read more on CNET.com: No Steering Wheel, Pedals or Driver's Seat: Is Zoox the Future of Robotaxis? cnet.us/k3m

[@Planet_Xplorer]

The reporter is fantastic. She did a great job 👏

[@polyglotinc]

another CNET fluff piece letting companies tell of their "beliefs" rather than doing hard reporting with actual 3rd party safety statistics

[@iscadean6038]

@@polyglotincif there are systems which can control 10,000 drones without crashing to each other in 3D then it’s possible to manage the same number in 2D.

[@polyglotinc]

@@iscadean6038 completely the wrong comparison because those drones are in a clean airspace completely controlled by their system VERSUS a constantly changing space of other moving vehicles/pedestrians/road-furniture/potholes/etc that are not controlled by the self-driving car.

[@iscadean6038]

@ well not completely wrong. 3D space introduces incredible complexity. Movement of those drones requires them to have proximity sensors on three axes not just two and, all things being equal and other road users follow the same rules, nothing untoward should happen. At least the robotic taxi will not speed, cut others up, brake unnecessarily, or do doughnuts. It will have radar and lidar and predictive technology I guess. And the cage the passengers are in will help them survive. That’s all you need in a taxi. Maybe ten thousand of just those in London might well, through AI, just control themselves and ban all other vehicles so they never have accidents.

[@mikeraphone785]

I think they need to find a smallish town and have nothing but robo taxis, it would be interesting to see if all vehicles on the road are robo taxi's if there is any accident. Seems to me that its people causing the issue.

[@pruthvichowdary22]

People also walk, cycle etc. giving away large area of public land (roads) to the corporations to run their experiments over is a dystopian nightmare in my opinion.

[@skierpage]

​@@pruthvichowdary22 the corporations run their experiments with human safety drivers ready to take over, until they demonstrate to regulators that their robotaxis are safer than human drivers. Waymo has done that. (Cruise did too, but stupidly misled regulators about the crash in which _after a human driver struck a pedestrian_ , its robotaxi collided with her and dragged the victim 20 feet as it pulled over. Cruise will deservedly have to do a lot to regain regulators' trust.)

[@OffWhiteDaz]

That would be a great proof of concept idea. Even better would be doing it in several small towns linked by small sections of freeway. This could work in something like a tourist area

[@component9008]

@@OffWhiteDaz You mean a bus?

[@pimisi]

This is quite great, however I hope the company makes it completely “idiot-proof”, as I suspect there will be people who try to do stupid and reckless things with it just for online attention and views.

[@NyteRazor]

They should have a clause when riding "F around and find out."

[@Willy-hs7uu]

Verified accounts, and security cams have to be standard for sure. also not sure how the app works on these, but some kind of biometric ID. maybe a pin code that is sent, or has visual Id. etc. in app notification of problems. for example one shows up, and you notice someone vomited, you report through app, get another ride, but also HQ looks at previous riders and bills the person that vomited.

[@djmagicisland]

Yes, my friend works for them. They do have security cameras on board and can take over the car if needed, but I agree they need to make this stupid proof because there’s a lot of stupid people out there. lol 😂

[@thismanagain]

Exactly

[@Monstah7]

Yep, 50yrs from now, people will be freaking out when they see a person behind a steering wheel..

[@i3_13]

driving becomes a hobby

[@JJs_playground]

In 50 years it'll become illegal for a human to operate a vehicle on the road. Just like how it's illegal to ride a horse on public roads. Humans driving cars will be relegated to driving in the track, much like horseback riding.

[@jvlbme]

*5

[@DarkNemesis25]

been using Tesla's fsd for about 2 years now and i feel a shocking sense of anxiety when i have to drive a manual car now. Its caught so many close calls that its proven its value. a human + fsd in its current state is night and day safer than 99% of drivers

[@rainmaker718]

The movie Demolition Man...where Taco Bell is fine dining 😂

[@AyoHues]

This is what the future of all cars looks like, imho. +90% of people no longer want to drive themselves, they want to be on their phones while they’re sitting in traffic or on the motorway, not think about the journey but just get to their destination. Carriage seating is the way to go and the standard forward facing car seating will be superseded in most autonomous vehicles. Once private vehicle ownership is replaced by a range of ‘journey subscription’ options, these vehicles will fairly rapidly come to dominate the roads, making them safer for everyone as the most difficult thing for autonomous vehicles to deal with are unpredictable human drivers.

[@alanchamberlin2384]

I would love to see a fleet of these just navigating the major airports. You could have autonomous vehicles getting travelers to their terminal far more efficiently.

[@Andres_Acosta]

Actually a human driver hit the jay walker and threw the person into the cruise car. The cruise vehicle did NOT cause that accident but ofc the media focuses on the wrong thing.

[@nathanielthelin1051]

No the car just kept driving with the person stuck underneath. Not something that would happen with a human driver.

[@Andres_Acosta]

@ okay but this accident started with a human driver they still haven’t found to this day. So idk why you would go “not something that would happen with a human driver” when the accident was caused by a human who ran away. Also a handful of casualties versus how many human caused vehicular deaths? Where this specific one wasn’t even caused by the ai but another human idk i feel like people blame one side and not the side that ran away after hitting a woman.

[@TheGuillotineKing]

The cruise car never stopped and it draged the victim

[@skierpage]

​@@TheGuillotineKing it did stop, it dragged the victim of the bad human driver 20 feet as it pulled over. Robotaxis _will_ harm people in edge cases, but focusing on them, rather than the run-of-the-mill "inattentive bad human driver causes crash" that happens millions of times a year, is mistaken. The only question that should matter is whether they are safer than human drivers in the conditions in which they operate. Waymo is, Cruise probably was.

[@wylde678]

@@nathanielthelin1051 People get hit by cars everyday and it's not newsworthy.

[@MrTabo2023]

I would gladly jump in and get a monthly subscription. Unlimited rides for $200 or $300 dollars a month is reasonable. I can always rent a car should I wish to drive again.

[@nickcpv]

Yes, fellow creature. This is the spirit. Let’s own nothing and be happy!

[@jvlbme]

​@nickcpv 🥱

[@Scooterzt]

​@nickcpv, why do you want to own everything? I'm used to working as a cable guy, I was surprised and then a bit angry how stuffed people's basements, garages, so much useless stuff, tons of garbage. Why do you need a car in big city when that car is parked 98% of time you own it? That's clearly not for everyone, but for some people cheap and reliable taxi would be a game changer.

[@kicka11]

Only in a country with wages as ridiculously high as the USA.

[@RooseveltTruong]

now moving on… i have $5 bill.

[@perrywales]

I’m a boomer and not in tech. I use both taxis, uber and Lyft. While I’m in the city of Seattle, mass transit can be sketchy during the times I need it. I’d easily try a Zoox. Futuristic, electric, ground up design, easy to ingress/egress, yeah, can’t wait!

[@TECHiSuppose]

It looks pretty nice. Purpose built automated vehicles seem to be the direction ride services will go eventually. Not having a specific front or back is really smart!

[@andrewleonardi3351]

I lived in NYC for years and once had a driver top 100 MPH for no reason. I'll take my chances with the robots any day.

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

imagine a synchronized train of these kind of robotaxis, or a bigger robotaxi, the size of a bus or train

[@daveotuwa5596]

Zoox is ideal for folks who don't possess a driver's license. It's similar to Waymo, but it resembles a bus.

[@AdrianSanabria]

CNET is killing it with some of the best tech news/reviews of anyone publishing on KZbin right now.

[@JoeyNuggies]

US needs a DEV town where we get all the new tech with no regular public but people working on improving this type of techs.

[@TheAIExplorer-o5j]

0:52 1:54 5:42 8:37 This is where you truly shine! Can’t argue with that level of skill. ✨

[@ag4eng]

They should make it look like an old time horse carriage.

[@gothaggis]

took several waymo rides when I was out in SF this past summer - the first ride was a little "weird" - but it felt so safe, much safer than many rideshare drivers - loved it and now hope they come to the east coast at some point. We saw them testing the Zoox platform on a SUV at Coit Tower. The Zoox design seems perfect. Might have to take a trip out to Vegas once it opens to the public.

[@aelaan12]

One thing I am wondering with the safety curtains: What if the vehicle ends up in a water, say too deep, and the curtain airbags choke the passenger(s)

[@7415_Gamer]

This is at the concept stage and by the time it rolls out of production, these concerns would be addressed.

[@brianfunt2619]

Why would the curtain airbags choke people in water?

[@TransitAndTeslas]

I’m annoyed that none of these are part of the city’s existing transit system. Fragmentation. Nobody wants a bus pass, a train pass, a self driving car pass, a monorail pass, a Tesla tunnel pass. JUST ONE PASS. GETS. THEM. ALL.

[@TheIncomparableGolfer]

All they would need to do is accept debit cards for tickets when you tag to get on.. In SF Bay Area, CA the transit service is supposed to do exactly that. But they are taking forever to set up the system..

[@TransitAndTeslas]

@ The one that Antioch is getting is supposed to just accept Clipper Cards. This is how it should be. If they’re running in Vegas they *should* take their transit card.

[@TheIncomparableGolfer]

@@TransitAndTeslas yah thats what I was referring to. The Clipper system is supposed to start accepting any debit/credit cards when you tag instead of having to buy that blue card .

[@jasonrhtx]

Yes, definitely need an integrated mass transit system. Robotaxis have the potential to reduce the “last mile” problem, although not during peak traffic hours. Also, since riders may have different destinations, it would be an interesting traveling salesman (logistics) problem to solve, with up to 4 destinations (4 passengers).

[@TheIncomparableGolfer]

@jasonrhtx flying taxi drones just may be the answer to traffic issues ..

[@AugustineGreyy]

Adam Something: TRAINS!!!

[@waltertoki1]

I live in San Francisco and have taken Waymo rides. I look forward to trying Zoox. The Waymo rides I took, were fine. In SF, traffic is congested and parking is impossible. My only gripe was the 1.5 mile rides cost ~$15 which is about the same as Uber or Lyft w/o tip. If Waymo/Zoox can cut prices to ~$5, then I can get around without a car and use the public bus and these self driving taxis.

[@officialyasir]

Great job, Abrar! Lots of great info in a short video!

[@mattwolrad]

What about wheelchair/scooter access?

[@BobIoNix]

Baby pax?!? 🍼

[@TheFrugalAudiophile]

Several of my boomer friends say they will never own or even ride in an autonomous vehicle. I think the biggest obstacle these vehicles have is public perception. It may not be until a generation grows up that does not know any different before they are widely accepted. This was the case with computers and now we have generations that do not know life without them.

[@PTRAINBOY]

Boomers have the money to buy them. Just so you know

[@JayJay-lc5qq]

I'm a Boomer. There have been amazing improvements and boomers need to back off and stop complaining and get with the times.

[@nickcpv]

It will be safe, convenient and affordable. You will also own nothing and be happy. When the time comes and your social credit score is low, you will feel sad but understand you cannot leave the city for a while. Until you become a good citizen and quit those archaic Christian thoughts, primitive humans used to have.

[@chyj]

*accepted.

[@daniellivingstone7759]

​@@PTRAINBOY Boomers are getting old and will soon lose their licences. This will help them.

[@JohnODonnell-fx6pd]

Oh heck yeah! I've taken 5 or 6 rides in our cars now, looking forward to taking a ride in Vegas!

[@GlitterGuru]

Waymo is launching their next gen shuttle soon, probably before zoox hits the road.

[@conradk]

Needs side marking lights under the doors... seems like a tripping hazard to get in or out at night, especially after a few drinks. 🙂

[@manp1039]

I’d love to ride in a Zoox vehicle-it looks like such a futuristic and innovative experience! I hope they expand to Santa Monica soon, just like Waymo has. It’s exciting to see the competition in the self-driving space pushing technology forward. As for Waymo, I think it’s important to give credit where it’s due. From what I’ve read, most of the accidents involving their vehicles were actually caused by human drivers, not the self-driving systems. This highlights how autonomous vehicles could help reduce human errors on the road over time. Zoox and Waymo both have the potential to revolutionize urban transportation, and I can’t wait to see how these technologies develop!

[@fineline392]

very well produced video, impressive 👍🏻

[@Oh_So_Based]

Bring these to Florida !

[@HygienistDentist]

Waymo is so cool hopefully Zoox can do it too

[@Willy-hs7uu]

I like this design , if the service is cheap I'll definitely use it. also, most of the robo taxi videos show vehicles going 10 miles an hour, this one is flying down the road at normal speed. regular drivers do not want slow driving bricks obstructing traffic flow. this guy looks like it will move with traffic.

[@bobcitizen1149]

Wow! This is the best thought out design for a robotaxi that I have seen or heard of! I wouldn't hesitate to ride in it. I have one question about the airbags deployment. It's going to displace a lot of air very quickly in that bubble. It could burst eardrums, and fill the space with noxious gases if there's no instant venting. How has this been accommodated?

[@hdtravel1]

This is SUPER cool - I can't wait to ride in one !!!

[@OneManOnFire]

I've been stuck behind these zoox Toyota's in San Francisco. They get stuck easily.

[@anores12345]

This is literally the self driving vehicle from Black Mirror’s San Junipero episode that the senior lady from the retirement home and her caretaker use to visit her loved one that’s in a comma at a hospital. Random, but made me think, the future is here.

[@shanalearns4098]

Seems better design than waymo/cruise/tesla robo taxi design!

[@Davierraven]

This is the only version of self driving taxi I'm genuinely excited for. Carriage style!

[@pondeify]

great presenter, love her style 😄

[@louididdy]

Really? The color matching is terrible lol

[@BillWeinman]

I live in Vegas and I'm waiting for availability. The app is still unavailable.

[@sustainablelivingnl773]

I would travel in it. This is the future.

[@urbanstrencan]

Just amazing job that they doing, actually making self-driving happen ❤❤

[@philipanderson9369]

What happens if a mugger steps in front of that vehicle? An acquaintance I know was recently involved in a potential car jacking and as a human driver she escaped by driving over a lawn.

[@NyteRazor]

How about detecting then appropriately handling certain road conditions such as potholes and ice?

[@itsROMPERS...]

They look great on sunny streets in warm weather. Now let's see how they do in Chicago in January.

[@barkomatic]

This could be a great in so many ways. Older people who can no longer drive can have their independence and people who've had too much to drink won't be tempted to drive home themselves. Ubers, taxis and public transportation aren't available in many places and are often limited in range.

[@matthewona]

I would be impress if these cars have the capability to drive in cities like delhi , manila or Bangkok were traffic rules are more like suggestions than fixed policy.

[@Techridr]

We already have Waymo here in Los Angeles. I'm also used to my Tesla driving anywhere without intervention, so I can see how this will all feel very normal in 4-5 years or so. I really think it's lights out for Uber/Lyft and in some cases, food delivery drivers. Well, we already have robots running around town delivering food, like Coco, so this is the near future. All of it.

[@fabio5889]

I've followed the company since the beginning and it's quite upsetting not knowing anything about the self-driving software... The most important element for this to work!

[@peacekeepermoe]

Obviously their most valuable invention. Top secret stuff. Wouldn't want competitors getting any ideas...

[@fabio5889]

@peacekeepermoe looks more like an empty shell to me. I hope I'm wrong

[@lovedfriend2020]

I hope people in wheelchairs can use this, but it seems you need to be sitting to use the touch panel but I cant wait to see this on the road.

[@Dogsnark]

This looks so much better than Tesla’s proposed robot taxi, in a number of ways. It is roomier, accommodates more riders, easier to get in and out of, and…it’s not a Tesla.

[@ryanthompson3737]

....There were like 18 seats in the tesla autonomous vehicle and could hold up to 20 people. You would know that if you didn't skim through the presentation because "Elon bad".

[@teamakaruijapan1353]

What about car sickness for the passengers facing backwards?

[@Quickie-dz3sm]

Um, it's not a public share ride. It's you and up to 3 of your friends/family. If the 3 people you are with won't let you sit in the forward facing seat due to getting car sick, you may want to question your friendships.

[@Progrssn]

I don’t see how RoboTaxi beats this. Perhaps as we have Fords and Toyotas and a sedans and trucks ppl will prefer one form of robo vehicle vs another.

[@thismanagain]

This looks so good! But it'll be weird at first not having a driver.

[@wylde678]

I can't find the app in the Google Play Store

[@mrrolandlawrence]

Wow imagine the amount of income and offshoot data mining possibilities with this. Amazon could give you free wifi but monetise all your browsing data. The same for recording audio from what people say in the taxi. This is so cool and will surely help make robo taxis even more profitable.

[@MjMurphy777]

I’m a boomer and I would hop into one of these tomorrow. When are they coming to Canada?

[@RichTallent]

Great video

[@AugustineGreyy]

6:07 SELF certified???

[@Programmer7]

All auto manufacturers are self-certified to meet US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). A selection of vehicles each year is selected by NHTSA to crash test in their NCAP (five star) program, conducted by contractors. The IIHS, an independent org funded by insurance companies, also crash tests US vehicles.

[@larryinfante3439]

Bus in the background, @ :36, has a Free Guy advertisement. Free Guy came out in 2021. Is that clip from 2021?

[@jasonrhtx]

Side-impact crash test results?

[@JonDecker]

Do these use sensors from Ouster?

[@greghelton4668]

I wouldn’t mind owning one of those cars myself for personal use.

[@Aggie4life77]

I’m one of those people that I’m usually down for any type of new tech, but I have to say self driving cars scare me a bit. Not so much at lower speeds as I think I’m ok with using them in the city and surface streets at speeds 50mph and under. It’s highway speeds that would scare me and I’m not in control. Also being in one of these in a hilly or mountainous area with cliffs! Nope!

[@greghelton4668]

I don’t know where you live but human drivers where I live can be terrifying.

[@ryanthompson3737]

And if you're a passenger in a taxi, you're also at the whim of the driver that you can't control. Nothing has changed AT ALL. Either way, you were never in control of the car.

[@patricknelson]

Foster City has a yearly festival which I attended a few times since I lived in San Carlos nearby. I went once and bumped into a display that they had! I was wondering what they were doing there, but when they mentioned that’s where their HQ was (not surprised), that immediately explained it. Coincidentally, Tesla was founded originally in San Carlos. 😅

[@allianceai]

great presentation

[@7415_Gamer]

Eventually, a lot of cars in some of the states would be replaced by these robotaxis. Btw, i like the outfit of the presenter.

[@friedpork_owl]

If they were screams of joy I would say maybe(better), otherwise I found this exciting & informative!Thank you

[@RikHeijmen]

Stopping in the middle of a road like that is one of the most dangerous things a vehicle could do. If hit by a human, the lawyers of Zx will be quick to blame the human for the incident.

[@brianfunt2619]

Yeah because if you crash into the car in front it's definitely your fault for following too closely

[@Mr._Pollo]

3:40 but aren’t there microphones inside the cabin?

[@nooahchannel]

Amazing. Much better then the crap Tesla Robo taxi!

[@kwas101]

She's braver than I am. I wouldn't be caught in one of these things, even if it was a free ride! I prefer to handle my own destiny, thanks very much.

[@Mr_i_o]

how much?

[@ejd1984]

I'm still a little disappointed that Cruise/GM has delayed their Origin robotaxi.

[@thismanagain]

If all vehicles on the road are autonomous, there's a chance there won't be any accidents. As long as there are people mixing up their unpredictability with autonomous vehicles, there will be danger.

[@quocphu01]

This is amazing, this is the future of humanity must give every chance for this to suceed, one day a robot car can be own privately will charge by solar on the roof and take father to work, wife to work, kids to school and backhoe RECHARE ITS SELF, WE ONLY NEED 1 CAR FOR THE FAMILY

[@Toaster-v1z]

Looks better than the Musk Taxi.

[@congojungle]

This reviewer looks and sounds amazing. She gets the job done!

[@WarlordMoA]

We need new Road Laws that can accommodate Robotaxi current laws for the average predestination or the average rider are not balanced.

[@itsROMPERS...]

Veritasium did a similar promo on Waymo several years ago. I haven't respected him since.

[@fredotcho]

Great design

[@CraigBrown-lx4ls]

Zook have been very clever here. How do you gain acceptance for a new technology? Make it non-threatening. Make it dull like the reporter says.

[@BobIoNix]

For Zook to be able to approach human cab driving ingenuity, it should be able to plot, navigate and traverse routes sans network coverage, sans radars, lidars, oddly x rays too, and yet still get to destination, safely, and maybe a little late if not on time. Also I cant see baby passengers holdfasts on this, no luggage, baggage anchoring or storage, no tow hooks, no spare wheels, no manual override, no manual driver controls, no rubber bumpers, cushioning on exterior ( yes its nice that air bags cushion the pax, but shouldn't pedestrians be cushioned from impact collisions too?) Oddly, no food, drinks, fire extinguisher life vests, flotation devices, first aid kits ( must have on long haul routes)? All the best Zook!

[@ScaerieTale]

This is one of the few cases of AI I'm actually looking forward to as a legally blind person who can't drive, and lives in an area with zero taxi service and extremely limited Uber(practicallynon-existant) - aka "the flyover states"

[@HauteHorizon]

The thing about these driverless vehicles is that they can easily be trolled by tweakers and whatnot

[@eSKAone-]

Biggest problem to solve: kids trolling these cars.

[@FrankGonzalezIV]

I used to test driverless cars for Cruise. AMA.

[@Killafiend]

Its not very aerodynamic if they intend on highway drive but I guess long highway drives are still far into the future

[@reo16]

Why are companies in the US allowed to "SELF" certify? Sounds like a bad idea and potential accidents waiting to happen.... *Cough..Boeing...*

[@zzzz-td4cv]

US gov always operate like this. First allow companies to self-certify (and collect application fees $$) and start the investment on the economy and get tax $$$ income. When there is a problem later, simply hit the certifier with fines $$$, hit the manufacturer with fines $$ for bad product, allow the public to sue for more $$$$, and then kick off a investigation for cheating-gate, corner-cutting-gate, and continue to hit them with more $$$$$, for the violator to hire ($$) appointees for monitoring them. This gov agency can spend zero technical effort and collected lots of $$$$$$, and the public also gets some cuts $$$$. It's a win-win-win scenario for business-gov-public

[@pumpthewater419]

I can’t wait to buy a real self driving car. Nothing like a Tesla, but from a reputable company like Waymo or another one that takes its responsibility to save lives seriously.

[@najju07]

I would be surprised if this can survive Chicago downtown streets 😅

[@bill8240]

Get rid of background music please! It's disturbing especially in focusing on what she's describing in the video.

[@lalodaniels1388]

This is really dope.

[@freearch2251]

When this technology matures- what stopping them in marketing the vehicle to private owners? I mean, imagine a future where you don’t need to have driving license but still have access to use your private vehicle? A world of possibilities

[@benedictmarshall7031]

Way more practical than Tesla’s coupe.

[@MrBrightside89BE]

So what Tesla has prototyped, Amazon has already built?

[@ryanthompson3737]

And what Amazon has built was already prototyped by Google in 2004.

[@JasonPurkiss]

Looking forward to booking a London to Málaga taxi ride rather than taking a plane 😊

[@somedayitsgonnamakesense]

for sure they are driven remotely by someone in Bangalore

[@eSKAone-]

2:40 that's not her right?