What’s it Like to Ride in a Self-Driving Robot Taxi?

It seems almost inevitable that autonomous technology, that which drives vehicles on its own without any human presence is going to be making a bigger impact on our society in the very near future. It’s already been rolled out to the public and while it currently is only in its infancy, we’re sure the developments are coming that will make it better and better, even though it seems like a pretty sound technology that we have these days to start with. Long story short, it’s only a matter of time.

This time, we check out a taxi cab that is a little bit different than usual and you could probably see where this one is going as this cab has taken on the ability to drive on its own. So what exactly would it be like to drive in an autonomous taxi, especially one that is in the early stages of development? Is it something that would be scary or will the experience be smooth and drama free?

Well, as it turns out, as of right now, the law states that somebody has to be behind the wheel of one of these vehicles as they are not developed enough to make their way to market in their final form. However, it also turns out that with a taxi service like Waymo, the driver really doesn’t end up touching the wheel that often at all. In fact, the company has recorded having an autonomous system with one of the lowest rates of human engagement in the industry which means that the computer is doing most of the thinking.

If you follow along with the video below, you’ll be able to go along for a ride that includes screens that show you, the passenger, what exactly is going on around you and what kind of data is picked up by the sensors, whether that be cars or people. In addition, you get to see how exactly the AI ends up making decisions which might be a little bit slower than you would but hey, give it a chance! It’s still learning and Waymo is programmed to be pretty conservative in its decision-making.