Amazon’s Robotaxis Will Head To Seattle To See If They Can Thrive In Its Weather
Image via Zoox
Last year, Amazon acquired Zoox, a robotaxi company for autonomous ride-hailing services. The vehicles have been tested in Las Vegas and the Bay Area over the last few years, but Zoox has now announced that it will be expanding to Seattle.
The location was chosen due to the city’s unique weather and “different driving culture,” which is described by GeekWire as “our unique combination of passive-aggressive politeness and outrage on the road.”
Tackling the challenges of a different environment with a different set of bylaws and unfamiliar infrastructure—such as narrow tunnels—alongside the infamous Seattle rainfall will help the company improve its hardware and software.
Image via Zoox
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor, and it’s the exact same principle for our technology,” states Kai Wang, Director of Prediction at Zoox. “The challenges of Seattle will let us hone our software stack and ultimately improve the behavior of our vehicles.”
In its news release, Zoox confirms that the fleet being deployed onto the city’s streets will be its L3 fleet: all-wheel drive Toyota Highlanders. This isn’t the autonomous robotaxi it unveiled late last year, but it does use the same sensor architecture.
Of course, each vehicle will still be manned; a safety driver will be present to take control of the car should anything go awry. After all, it’s still learning.
Image via Zoox
One new feature undergoing testing will be the “special hardware” built into the vehicles’ sensor architecture to remove water and debris. This aims to replace human drivers’ usual arsenal of windshield wipers and defrosters. So, Seattle’s “frequent rain” gives it the perfect testing ground.
Apart from testing, the company also plans to open its fourth office in the Seattle area. Launch, when it comes, will still be focused on the Las Vegas and San Francisco areas, but testing in other cities will “accelerate our pace of learning and iteration everywhere,” the company explains.
[via GeekWire, images via Zoox]
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