Have you ever wondered what happens to self-driving taxis when the world is asleep? A YouTube channel run by software engineer Sophia Tung has revealed an intriguing glimpse into the life of Waymo’s robotaxis.
The Livestream
Since the beginning of the month, Tung has been livestreaming a San Francisco parking lot where Waymo rents space for its robotaxis during their downtime. The company initially took partial control of the lot on July 28th before eventually claiming the entire space. Waymo recently opened up its robotaxi service to the public in San Francisco, prompting Tung to set up the livestream for curious viewers.
Tung runs the livestream using a mini PC and a webcam enclosed in a cereal box to reduce glare. Viewers can tune in at any time to observe the behavior of the Waymo cars in the lot. According to text overlaid on the video, the cars tend to migrate back to the lot between specific hours on different days of the week.
At certain times of the day, the parking lot transforms into a spectacle of autonomous parking and honking. Tung mentioned that the noise can persist for up to an hour before quieting down. Waymo’s representative, Chris Bonelli, acknowledged the honking behavior, attributing it to specific scenarios in which the vehicles navigate the parking lots. The company is actively working to address and resolve this issue.
The livestream offers a fascinating look into the behind-the-scenes operations of Waymo’s robotaxis during their downtime. The viewership can observe the vehicles’ behaviors, including migration patterns and honking incidents. The insight provided by the livestream sheds light on the intricacies of autonomous vehicle technology and the challenges that arise in real-world environments.
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