Waymo

Autonomous Waymo Vehicle Runs Over Dog in San Francisco

A self-driving car operated by Waymo, Google’s autonomous vehicle company, hit and killed a dog in San Francisco in a recent incident. The tech giant claims, “the system correctly identified the dog which ran out from behind a parked vehicle but was not able to avoid contact.”

Waymo driverless car in San Francisco (waltarrrrr/Flickr)

‘It Doesn’t Know What to Do!:’ Waymo Driverless Taxi Causes Chaos for First Responders at Fire Scene

A Waymo autonomous taxi caused chaos navigating a fire scene in San Francisco, exposing the challenges driverless vehicles face in reacting to unusual situations and commands from first responders. Police officers desperately worked to stop the driverless vehicle from running over a hose being used by firefighters to put out a fire. Body camera footage captured one officer explaining, “Got a bit of a pickle. I got an autonomous vehicle, the Waymo, it’s inching slowly and closely to one of the main water lines that the SF Fire just charged. Can’t run it over,” he says. “I don’t trust this AI.”

Waymo driverless car in San Francisco (waltarrrrr/Flickr)

San Francisco Traffic Snarled by Self-Driving Car Disruptions

Self-driving cars have reportedly caused increased delays, confusion, and anxiety among public transit drivers as self-driving car companies plan to further expand their fleet. One city official explained, “We are very concerned that if autonomous vehicles are allowed limitless, driverless operations in San Francisco that the traffic impacts grow exponentially.”

Cruise Robotaxi

‘This Is Crazy:’ San Francisco Cops Pull over Completely Empty Self-Driving Car

A San Francisco police officer recently pulled over a car for failing to have its headlights on, but when the officer approached the vehicle he realized the car was not only a self-driving with no one in the driver’s seat — the vehicle was completely empty. The puzzled policeman can heard to say “Ain’t nobody in it; this is crazy,” in a viral video of the incident.

police

Google’s Waymo Self-Driving Trucks to Haul Cargo in Texas

Google’s self-driving car company Waymo announced this week that it is working with trucking company JB Hunt to autonomously haul cargo loads in Texas. The trucks will haul loads between Houston and Fort Worth with a truck driver and Waymo technicians on board monitoring their performance.

Profiles of different big rig long haul semi trucks with high cab standing on parking lot

New York Times: The Tech Titans Are Nowhere Close to Self-Driving Cars

The New York Times has outlined how Silicon Valley tech giants are beginning to “reset expectations” for the future of self-driving cars. According to the Times, only the richest companies are still working on the technology and they are expected to “still toil for years on their driverless car projects.”

Elon Musk

Justice Department Confirms Criminal Probe in Uber Case

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A recent letter from the U.S. Attorney’s office confirms that the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation connected to allegations that a former Uber executive stole self-driving car technology from a Google spin-off to help the ride-hailing service build robotic vehicles.

Uber confirmed one of the cars torched in confrontations with taxi drivers in Johannesburg

Uber Facing Federal Probe on Allegations of Espionage

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that Uber deployed an espionage team to plunder trade secrets from its rivals. The revelation triggered a delay in a high-profile trial over whether the beleaguered ride-hailing service stole self-driving car technology from a Google spinoff.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images