Waymo explains why its robotaxis got stuck during SF’s blackout

Waymo is deploying software updates to help robotaxis check stoplights during power outages “quickly,” the company said Tuesday in blog post That explains why its self-driving cars got stuck at an intersection when it was dark in San Francisco last week.

Waymo said the self-driving system in its robotaxis handles dead stop lights like a four-way stop, just like humans do. This would allow the robotaxis to function properly even if there was a large blackout.

Instead, many cars requested a “validation check” from Waymo fleet response team to ensure that what they are doing is correct. All of Waymo’s robotaxis have the ability to make these verifications. With such widespread coverage on Saturday, there was an “increasing surge” in requests for these verifications, Waymo said, which helped trigger all of the disruptions that occurred on video.

Waymo said it made these verification requests “out of an abundance of caution at the time of our deployment” but is now making adjustments to “fit in with our current situation.”

“Although this method was useful during small episodes, we are now using all-in-one updates that provide (automation software) with real-time power-off, which helps to improve efficiency,” the company wrote.

The software update will add “information about the end of the world” to the self-driving program. Waymo also said it will improve its emergency response systems by “integrating training into the event.”

While a lot of attention has been placed on how long Waymo’s robotaxis have stabilized during power outages, the company shared that its vehicles “successfully passed more than 7,000 blackout signals on Saturday.”

The company wrote: “Overseeing such a large event presented a unique challenge for autonomous technology.

Saturday’s debacle is the latest example of how Waymo continues to uncover the unexpected with its software and its approach to creating reliable self-driving cars. The company had to deploy several software updates to get its robotaxis to wait for school buses, prompting a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation and it made me remember.