Waymo Stops Development Of Autopilot Feature After Test Driver Found Asleep At The Wheel

The decision followed experiments of the technology in Silicon Valley that showed test users napping, putting on makeup and fiddling with their phones as the vehicles traveled up to 56 mph.

John Krafcik, the head of Waymo, which was formed in 2009 as a project within Alphabet's Google unit, told reporters that about five years ago the company envisioned technology that could autonomously drive cars on highways as a quick way to get on the market.

Tiberius1701A - 10/31/2017 10:23:50 AM

+5 Boost

"Alphabet Inc.'s self-driving car unit stopped developing features that required drivers to take control in dangerous situations, its CEO said Monday, as autopilot reliance left users prone to distractions and ill-prepared to maneuver."
Well, duh.

TheSteve - 10/31/2017 3:13:35 PM

+3 Boost

Agreed :-( This is why autonomous car systems must be *better* than a human driver, in all ways, or not attempt to be autonomous.

PUGPROUD - 10/31/2017 3:03:36 PM

+1 Boost

There are 4 stages leading up to Stage 5 totally autonomous driven cars with no human input other than destination. Some manufacturers are going to take their time and not introduce any of the intermediary stages that require some form of human involvement or intervention because people are simply not reliable.