Uber will resume its autonomous driving programme by August, according to a report by The Information. The company said that it plans to continue testing its autonomous driving systems in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, with a stronger emphasis on safety.
In March this year, the company was embroiled in a fatal self-driving car crash in Arizona which resulted in the suspension of Uber’s ability to test and operate autonomous vehicles in the state. During the incident, it was reported that the standard collision-avoidance system in the Volvo XC90 was disabled.
For the recommencement of the programme, Uber will implement 16 safety protocols made by an internal team that “reviewed Uber’s operations after the accident.” Among the changes include an emergency braking system to help prevent or mitigate collisions should there be a problem with the car’s autonomous driving system.
Additionally, autonomous Uber vehicles will have two personnel present in them to take over should there be any issues. This practice (safety driver and a co-pilot) was used during the initial stages of the programme, but was later dropped when the company decided to expand its testing.
Uber’s own autonomous driving software will also be tweaked so it can better detect objects around the vehicle. The company also hired former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman Christopher Hart to advise it on safety issues.
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Nothing can stop Skynet.
Need a co-driver to see that the car never do any mistake, like in the previous first accident. Or even 2 co-drivers in case 1 becomes sleepy. This way, the customers will feel very safe, instead of just the robot car without any driver to see that it’s really safe at all times!