How Self-Driving Cars Get Help From Humans Hundreds of Miles Away

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the use of remote human assistance in the operation of autonomous vehicles, particularly robot taxis, and the challenges they face in achieving true autonomy.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Role of Human Assistance in Autonomous Vehicles

1. What is the role of human technicians in the operation of autonomous vehicles?

• Human technicians in command centers provide guidance and assistance to autonomous vehicles when they encounter situations they cannot handle on their own, such as navigating construction zones or other unexpected scenarios.
• Technicians can remotely take control of the vehicle and provide a new route or instructions to help the vehicle navigate the situation.
• Companies have been reluctant to acknowledge the need for this human assistance, as it undermines the perception of full autonomy.

2. How prevalent is the use of remote human assistance in autonomous vehicles?

• Companies like Zoox, Waymo, and Cruise employ remote technicians to assist their autonomous vehicles, but they have not disclosed the exact number of technicians or the costs involved.
• Estimates suggest that Cruise had about 1.5 workers per vehicle, including remote assistance staff, who intervened to assist the vehicles every 2.5 to 5 miles.
• The need for this human assistance is one reason why autonomous vehicle companies are struggling to replace traditional ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, as the costs associated with remote assistance are high.

3. What are the limitations of current autonomous vehicle technology?

• Autonomous vehicles can reliably handle familiar situations, such as ordinary turns or lane changes, and can automatically brake for pedestrians.
• However, they struggle with unusual or unexpected situations that do not fit their pre-programmed models, which is why they still require human assistance.
• The article cites an example where a Zoox vehicle struggled to recognize yellow fire trucks, highlighting the limitations of the current technology.

[02] The Challenges of Achieving True Autonomy

1. What are the challenges in achieving true autonomy in vehicles?

• The article suggests that while companies believe computers should be able to replicate and replace humans in all ways, this has not yet been achieved with autonomous vehicles.
• The need for remote human assistance to handle unexpected situations undermines the perception of full autonomy and highlights the current limitations of the technology.
• Experts like Thomas W. Malone from MIT believe it may be cheaper to simply have a human driver in the car rather than relying on remote assistance.

2. How are companies addressing the challenges of achieving true autonomy?

• Companies like Zoox are testing new types of autonomous vehicles and plan to make their services available to the public this year.
• However, even these new vehicles will still require some level of human assistance, as the technology has not yet reached the point of true autonomy.
• Companies are continuing to test and refine their driving software to improve the capabilities of their autonomous vehicles, but the need for human intervention is still a significant challenge.