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Posted on 12/29/2025 11:34:46 AM PST by xxqqzz
Waymo is shipping a software update to help its robotaxis navigate disabled traffic lights during power outages “more decisively,” the company said Tuesday in a blog post that explains why its self-driving vehicles got stuck at intersections during a blackout in San Francisco this past weekend.
Waymo said the self-driving system in its robotaxis treats dead stop lights as four-way stops, just like humans are supposed to. That should have allowed the robotaxis to operate normally in spite of the massive outage.
Instead, many of the vehicles requested a “confirmation check” from Waymo’s fleet response team to make sure what they were doing was correct. All Waymo robotaxis have the ability to make these confirmation checks. With such a widespread outage on Saturday, there was a “concentrated spike” in these confirmation requests, Waymo said, which helped create all the congestion caught on video.
Waymo said it built this confirmation request system “out of an abundance of caution during our early deployment” but that it is now refining it to “match our current scale.”
“While this strategy was effective during smaller outages, we are now implementing fleet-wide updates that provide the [self-driving software] with specific power outage context, allowing it to navigate more decisively,” the company wrote.
The software update will add “even more context about regional outages” to the company’s self-driving software. Waymo also said it will improve its emergency response protocols by “incorporating lessons from this event.”
While a lot of focus has been placed on the instances where Waymo’s robotaxis got stuck during the power outage, the company shared that its vehicles “successfully traversed more than 7,000 dark signals on Saturday.”
(Excerpt) Read more at techcrunch.com ...
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Isn’t “blackout” a racist term? It sounds like what we white supremacists want to do with Somalis. (/s)
What if “confirmation” is the outage, not just a delay due to heavy traffic?
What if “confirmation” is hacked?
AI has a long way to go. In testing Skynet and Cyberdyne many will be inconvenienced. A few will die. But it is for the greater good.
“specific power outage context”
IOW, “Outta my way, Sucka!” mode.
The blame game.
Nobody ever says “we effed up”.
“All of the Waymos called for confirmation at the same time and did not get replies, so stood there stopped at traffic lights.”
As I remember it was only seven.
Article says over 7000 dark light crossing were handled satisfactorially.
“Nobody ever says “we effed up”.”
The problem and solution were clearly stated.
Not only that but they were used in LA during the riots as props and burning pyres around city hall.
Ha. There was no uproar over the old typing correction fluid White Out.
Or the Bing Crosby classic I’m dreaming of a racially and ethnically diverse holiday.
LOL! Treat dead traffic lights like four way stop signs. What a joke.
A couple years ago we sat at a traffic light that was stuck on red for our direction and green for cross traffic for 10 minutes or more not knowing what to do. The green lit traffic was flowing free as a bird. The red light traffic was blocked up for a block or more.
So the guy beside us just took off when it was safe to do so. He was immediately chased by a cop and pulled over.
Granted, the light was not completely dead, but for the cop this was an excellent chance to collect some revenue for the city. I bet this cop had some way to make the light stop working just so he could ticket people.
I still am uncomfortable about a self driving car pulling into an uncontrolled intersection in a city like SF. If they really want to do some good, teach it to park legally and sent out a distress call when this happens. Of course, knowing SF they would probably send out social workers to counsel the inhabitants.
wy69
Maybe “Waymo” will have to be changed to “Wayless”
Waymo sounds racist to me...Waymo what? Gaymo, Waymo Homo who knows but I’d never get near one let alone in one.
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