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Uber will pick up ride-hailing passengers with autonomous cars in a test beginning in Pittsburgh next month. Pittsburgh is the home of Carnegie Mellon University:
Starting later this month, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved. Google, widely regarded as the leader in the field, has been testing its fleet for several years, and Tesla Motors offers Autopilot, essentially a souped-up cruise control that drives the car on the highway. Earlier this week, Ford announced plans for an autonomous ride-sharing service. But none of these companies has yet brought a self-driving car-sharing service to market.
Uber's Pittsburgh fleet, which will be supervised by humans in the driver's seat for the time being, consists of specially modified Volvo XC90 sport-utility vehicles outfitted with dozens of sensors that use cameras, lasers, radar, and GPS receivers. Volvo Cars has so far delivered a handful of vehicles out of a total of 100 due by the end of the year. The two companies signed a pact earlier this year to spend $300 million to develop a fully autonomous car that will be ready for the road by 2021.
Uber also acquired self-driving truck startup Otto.
It is not clear whether Uber users will be able to opt out of getting the surprise autonomous Volvo SUVs sent to them (due to privacy or safety concerns), but rides in the autonomous cars will be free during the Pittsburgh test.
Also at NYT, WSJ, TechCrunch, and The Verge.
Previously: Uber Testing Driverless Car in Pittsburgh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @05:24AM
When did we actually achieve the ability for self driving cars? Thought it was still 'works ok under controlled sites'. Basically nice sunny cities and no rain with hyper mapped cities.
If this is true the world is about to change radically.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @05:31AM
This looks like Level 3 autonomous since there is a well-trained driver in the driver's seat: https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blog/2013/12/sae-levels-driving-automation [stanford.edu]
(Score: 2) by TheLink on Saturday August 20 2016, @06:36AM
They still need drivers for this:
http://www.dmv.org/pa-pennsylvania/safety-laws.php [dmv.org]
http://www.vindy.com/news/2003/feb/15/pennsylvania-taxi-drivers-say-child-seat-law-will/?print [vindy.com]
If you are driving with anyone under 8 to 18 years old in the vehicle, they must wear a seat belt at all times both in the front and back seat. Failure to do so is considered a primary offense, and as the driver, you could face the following fines:
Passengers 4 to 8 years old: $75 fine plus court fees.
Passengers 8 to 18 years old: $10 fine plus court fees.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @05:35AM
Uber doesn't require you to entire a destination before entering the car. Pittsburgh to New York, anyone?
(Score: 2) by PocketSizeSUn on Saturday August 20 2016, @06:30PM
Actually ... they only place I use Uber it does require a destination for some situations (before allowing you to 'hail' an uber).
Specifically when arriving to Jakarta at the airport (CGK) you must specify a destination to hail an Uber.
Also you may find (frequently) that outside of the Airport specifying a destination can either hinder or help your changes of
getting an Uber to show up .. many drivers will either ignore you after accepting the ride and/or contact you and demand a
destination .. if they don't like where you are going (ride too short, or not in a direction they want to go) then they will cancel
or just ignore you until you cancel.
So my point is that they can turn on "destination required" for all locations and probably should anyway ... then find a better way
to convince drivers to not accept requests unless they intend to actually perform the service.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @05:46AM
Good! I'm tired of Uber drivers harassing me when I'm waiting for the bus. Hey did I call an Uber? No! Take your damn hipster ride shitting and die in a fucking fire!
And some assholes have been littering Lyft coupons at bus stops too. Goddamn capitalism scum. This is exactly why I ride the communist bus instead. Bus drivers don't care whether I ride or not!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @10:36AM
Sorry. All tech advancement of this millennium has been made in the name of bothering people, this will be no exception.
if distance(self.position,nearest(busStop.position)).lessthan(mt,50) and area(IRsensor(right).map).greaterthan(areaof(kid)) then
self.accelerateTo(kph,20);
self.outsidespeaker.play("hey_want_a_ride.mp3")
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Snotnose on Saturday August 20 2016, @06:02AM
I don't trust self driving cars enough to half pass out in the back seat while the car brings me home. And if it's got a "monitor" in the driver's seat, double hell no. I'd rather trust my life to drunk me than to some unknown entity who's job skills are in the "sit in the driver's seat and take over if something bad is about to happen" category.
Being the dumbest idiot in the land and president of the US should be 2 different people.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday August 20 2016, @07:01AM
I believe the "driver's" main job is to chaperone the vehicle and hold you accountable if you vandalize or make a mess in it. Also someone to hold accountable for nannying you to obey whatever passenger laws are in effect... i.e. tossing empties out the window....
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @07:13AM
Firstly, at least three persons shall be employed to drive or conduct such locomotive, and if more than two waggons or carriages he attached thereto, an additional person shall be employed, who shall take charge of such waggons or carriages;
Secondly, one of such persons, while any locomotive is in motion, shall precede such locomotive on foot by not less than sixty yards, and shall carry a red flag constantly displayed, and shall warn the riders and drivers of horses of the approach of such locomotives, and shall signal the driver thereof when it shall be necessary to stop, and shall assist horses, and carriages drawn by horses, passing the same
(Score: 1) by baldrick on Saturday August 20 2016, @01:15PM
I can't wait until I can buy a self driving toyota van
there will be lounge chairs in the back and a full bar
... I obey the Laws of Physics
(Score: 2) by Capt. Obvious on Saturday August 20 2016, @10:21PM
Why do you think they'll ever sell you a van. A self-driving car is a car they can just lease you. Or sell to a ridesharing service for a few hundred thousand (or more likely, a chunk of stock). Why, because how many competitors will self-driving cars have? There's going to be one that's there a few years ahead of the competition. And, given the winner-take-all nature of software, they will dominate the industry.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 20 2016, @01:40PM
Hey, you! Come work for Uber. Be part of a cool, new, job-creating company!
We create jobs for people. But they're not employees so we have zero obligations to them... Ask us how we did this!
JAHBS for everyone in the new gig economy. Also, you're all fired from our job-creating company because we've got self-driving cars now.
Where's my tax break because I am a jahb-creator?