Waymo's self-driving cars have racked up over 10 million miles on public roads

[Shawn Knight]

Forward-looking: Self-driving cars will rewrite personal transportation, it's just a question of how long it'll take for the technology to mature to that point. Companies like Waymo and others that'll immensely benefit from the advancement are hoping it happens sooner rather than later.

Alphabet subsidiary Waymo’s self-driving vehicles have driven more than 10 million miles on public roads across 25 US cities, CEO John Krafcik revealed on Wednesday.

Waymo has been racking up real-world miles at a staggering pace as of late, both on high-speed roads and in dense urban areas. The company surpassed the five million mile mark in February and said in July that it had eclipsed eight million miles driven.

Key to its progress on public roads, Krafcik said, is the deep investment Waymo has made in simulation. In the virtual world, Waymo can recreate any encounter they’ve had on public roads. Furthermore, Google’s self-driving division can test new skills, refine existing ones and simulate rare encounters to see how its vehicles respond.

By the end of the month, Waymo will have seven billion virtual miles under its belt.

Waymo got started as a secretive Google X lab project in 2009 before graduating to standalone subsidy status in late 2016.

Looking ahead to the next 10 million miles, Waymo’s chief said they will focus on turning their technology into a service that people will use and love. Safety is paramount but other aspects like comfort, convenience and capability aren’t being overlooked.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/76873-waymo-self-driving-cars-have-racked-up-over.html

 

[ShagnWagn]

10 million miles? So, a lifetime of driving of 10 people? Yeesh. Are we supposed to be impressed? How many miles did they test these out before putting them on public roads at risk to the public's safety? and fail several times over.

 

[swagdaddy]

10 million miles? So, a lifetime of driving of 10 people? Yeesh. Are we supposed to be impressed? How many miles did they test these out before putting them on public roads at risk to the public's safety? and fail several times over.

How about just appreciating this milestone for the self-driving vehicle world? In order for these vehicles to not be a risk and to perfect the technology - it must be tested in the public. There is a human behind the wheel at all times in Waymo's vehicles. Did you even read the article or just blindly respond to the title?

 

[ShagnWagn]

Why read the article when you can become instantly upset?

TechSpot could put, "Tesla achieves" in the title and have the article be about a phone, and you'd have the geriatrics in here complaining about Tesla and ranting about Elon Musk.

Why do you have hate against and attack me personally? You draw some wild conclusions on a person you know nothing about.

Do you also have hate against people that care about people's safety other than their own?

BTW, "geriatrics" doesn't mean what you think it does

 

[ShagnWagn]

How about just appreciating this milestone for the self-driving vehicle world? In order for these vehicles to not be a risk and to perfect the technology - it must be tested in the public. There is a human behind the wheel at all times in Waymo's vehicles. Did you even read the article or just blindly respond to the title?

So if I build a brand new gun and want to test the safety on it, you wouldn't mind standing in front of it would you? How about a child of yours? How about a 4000lb bullet (in reference to these cars)? I would appreciate it if they proved it out on testing grounds and race tracks (and publish the results) first.

I don't mind technology, but when it's put first before people's lives, and against their will (as they've proven it kills people without pause), then yes I have to object.

 

[toooooot]

10 million miles? So, a lifetime of driving of 10 people? Yeesh. Are we supposed to be impressed? How many miles did they test these out before putting them on public roads at risk to the public's safety? and fail several times over.

I think all self driving vehicles must have one standard human detector which would be able to detect a human within the distance the car can come to complete start. Give the chips for anybody walking, like an ID, so that even if self driving car doesn't see you, it knows there is a person nearby.

 

[ShagnWagn]

I think all self driving vehicles must have one standard human detector which would be able to detect a human within the distance the car can come to complete start. Give the chips for anybody walking, like an ID, so that even if self driving car doesn't see you, it knows there is a person nearby.

Are you saying that children on playgrounds or even just crossing the street to their friend's house needs a chip? I guess kids need to be chipped like dogs? So they don't get killed by one? Frightful future.

 

[toooooot]

Are you saying that children on playgrounds or even just crossing the street to their friend's house needs a chip? I guess kids need to be chipped like dogs? So they don't get killed by one? Frightful future.

That's the best I can think of to protect us from blood thirsty self driving cars. And if you think of it, this technology would be much more reliable than all sensors on such vehicle.