Unlike previous demonstrations, there is no human driver behind the wheel as the autonomous cars, called Apollo Go Robotaxis, ferry passengers in Shougang Park in west Beijing. Instead, a safety engineer sits in the front passenger seat and a remote operator is on hand in case of an emergency.
The taxis are currently available to commuters aged 18 to 60, with each ride to one of eight pre-programmed destinations costing $4.60.
To hail an Apollo Go taxi, passengers have to make a request on the Apollo Go app. Once the request is processed, the taxi will announce its arrival with a honk. Passengers are then required to scan a QR code and verify their health information before entering the car to confirm their identity and prevent the spread of disease. The taxi will only start the trip after its artificial intelligence (AI) detects that the doors are shut and seatbelts are fastened.
Ten Apollo Go taxis are currently operating in a 1.2-square mile area in Shougang Park, which will be hosting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Baidu, which is the Chinese equivalent of Google, expects that its robot taxis will be used to transport athletes and staff to and from Olympic venues.
Yunpeng Wang, Baidu's general manager for autonomous-driving technology, forecasts that other first-tier Chinese cities and international locales will eventually adopt the Apollo Go taxi to provide more convenient and eco-friendly transit options.
"The commercialization of autonomous driving can alleviate congestion effectively and help to reach the peak carbon dioxide emissions and achieve carbon neutrality in China," Wang explained. (Related: Why ending combustion engines would unleash a global environmental and humanitarian catastrophe linked to rare earth elements.)
A rider who works in the AI industry praised the taxi for providing a smooth riding experience. "There is a strong sense of technology, because nobody is in the driver's seat," Kelly Wang told Associated Press. "I would recommend people experience this." But others have no confidence in the technology since driving behavior is very complex. "We've all had experiences such as other cars jumping the queue or making a sudden lane change," Amy Li, a visitor to last Sunday's launch, told Associated Press. "People have emotions while robots don't, at least at present. [Therefore] autonomous vehicles may not be able to deal with such changes." But Wang insists that Baidu conducted driverless tests in many cities before the rollout, with tests starting in Beijing neighborhoods last October. The firm claims that the trials clocked more than six million miles of road testing in total.eBay says it will let governments automatically remove listings
By News Editors // Share
China plans to use biological and genetic weapons in next world war
By Nolan Barton // Share
Putin is ready to negotiate a CEASEFIRE with Trump
By bellecarter // Share
Ohio Senate passes bill that seeks to outlaw criticism of Israel
By lauraharris // Share
Biden admin races to fill 1,200 DEI positions – with $160M price tag – before Trump inauguration
By bellecarter // Share