You would think that robot taxis would be able to drive flawlessly without a driver – and without the annoying horn. A resident of a taxi collection point in San Francisco proves the opposite.
There is a lot of mistrust in autonomous cars. Sometimes the vehicles prove that the technology is not yet perfect. However, there are some things that you don’t really expect. For example, who would have guessed that the cars – again: without a driver! – would honk at each other in a parking lot?
Sophia Tung, a resident who lives directly above a Waymo taxi collection point, filmed exactly this for YouTube: As if countless grumpy people who had been up all night were desperately looking for a parking space, the cars honk at each other in search of their parking space. What you can’t see in the video, but can tell from the title: This apparently happens at four in the morning too.
Autonomous cars with loud horns
Only now has the company behind the cars come up with the idea that this could potentially cause disruption in the heart of a city with a population of one million. As “” reports, a spokesperson only wrote in response to a query: “We are aware that in some cases our vehicles may honk briefly while driving in our parking lots.” It goes on to say that they have recognized the problem and now want to fix it.
Somewhat surprisingly, Tung takes it all with a sense of humor. Although the terror seems to have shown no end since the end of July, she writes to the trade magazine: “To be honest, it’s fun to watch the cars come and go. The only thing that needs to be fixed is the honking.”
Robo-taxis in live stream
Waymo did not explain why the cars honk at each other. It is conceivable that the taxis are drawing attention to themselves during longer wait times because a human driver could also hinder the journey. In this scenario – and at this time of day – it makes surprisingly little sense.
Anyone who wants to watch the robo-ballet (and the nightly terror) can now do so. Sophia Tung set up a webcam at her window that films the goings-on in the open space all day long. It is accompanied by relaxing music.
It is an interesting question whether autonomous vehicle communication using the horn would be permitted in Germany. As the ADAC writes, honking is only permitted as a warning signal in urban areas. However, an unnecessarily long wait for a parking space is not a dangerous situation, but merely annoying.
Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
