Waymo Robotaxi Traps Passenger In Endless Parking Lot Circles
- Mike Johns ordered a Waymo robotaxi in Los Angeles to take him to the airport.
- Instead, it started doing circles, forcing Johns to contact customer support for help.
- Waymo claims he wasnβt charged and that software updates will prevent similar glitches.
Waymo continues to lead the way in the development and introduction of robotaxis, but that doesnβt mean itβs perfected the technology. Not only did its autonomous cars spark an NHTSA investigation over crashes, but in August last year, dozens developed a weird habit of gathering together at a parking lot in San Francisco and honking their horns in the middle of the night. Last month, one of them took a passenger on a rather dizzying ride in Los Angeles.
In December, Mike Johns ordered a Waymo to ferry him to the airport, where he had to catch a flight. It picked him up, but then proceeded to drive around in circles in the parking lot rather than actually taking him where he needed to be.
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Worried that he was going to miss his flight, Johns got in contact with Waymoβs customer support who quizzed him on what was going on. βItβs circling around a parking lot,β he told the operator. βIβve got my seatbelt on, I canβt get out of the car. Has this been hacked? Whatβs going on? Why is this thing going in a circle? Iβm getting dizzy.β
At one stage, the Waymo operator can be heard asking Johns if he had the Waymo app on his phone and instructing him to tap the My Trips button on the lower-left corner, presumably in an attempt to pause the ride. Johns replies that Waymo itself should be able to take over the car and shouldnβt need to use his phone.
After five long minutes of circling the same traffic island, Waymoβs team managed to regain control of the Jaguar I-Pace. The errant robotaxi finally snapped out of its loop and got Johns to the airport, though not without leaving him shaken and frustrated.
Speaking to CBS News, Waymo stated that it had identified the issue as a software glitch and assured everyone that itβs been addressed to prevent future looping incidents. To its credit, the company didnβt charge Johns for the ride.
βWhereβs the empathy? Whereβs the human connection to this?β John said after the weird experience. βItβs just, again, a case of todayβs digital world. A half-baked product and nobody meeting the customer, the consumers, in the middle.β
H/T to Roadandtrack