New Rideshare Service Halo Launches With Remotely-Operated Drone Cars
Image via Halo / Business Wire
A new rideshare company has launched, offering users a driverless electric car service unlike Uber and Lyft.
Halo, in partnership with T-Mobile, will first be launching in parts of Las Vegas Vally later this year. The service is a little different from what we’re used to with ridesharing, considering that when the car shows up at your doorstep, there’ll be no one behind the wheel.
According to Carscoops, although there’ll be someone controlling the car at all times, they’ll be doing so via a remote setup, rendering them essentially “invisible.” Upon reaching its user, the remote operator will then hand over the vehicle’s controls to the user, who drives the car to their destination as per usual.
Customers won’t have to worry about parking either, as once you reach the destination, the remote operator will take over the vehicle once again, as the car zooms off to the next person.
For now, the cars will depend on users and remote operators to drive them, but there are plans for the service reach fully autonomous capabilities, allowing them to eventually drive themselves. Halo also said the initial launch will help people get used to seeing “driverless” cars on the roads.
“Full autonomy is a massive challenge from both a technical and social trust perspective that won’t be solved for years to come. But Halo has been designed to address these challenges by building automation over time starting with a solution that consumers will feel comfortable using today,” explained Anand Nandakumar, founder and CEO of Halo.
The ridesharing service’s partnership with T-Mobile also aids its cause, with the telecom’s extensive 5G network allowing quick connection and reliable GPS for remote operators to drive the cars to customers no matter where they’re located.
For more information, check out the video below.
[via Carscoops, cover image Halo / Business Wire]
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