A tinge of “giddiness amid infantile pleasure”: that is how I might describe my first-ever experience in a driverless automotive. Till now, I’ve solely seen such technological marvels in Hollywood blockbusters Minority Report and I, Robotic. And truthfully, I by no means in my faintest creativeness might image myself being pushed round by a robotic. Ever since arriving in San Francisco, I’ve been eagerly ready to hop right into a Waymo robotaxi and go round city.
On a breezy June night, after a protracted day with back-to-back classes, it was lastly time to unwind. Though I used to be uncertain in regards to the mode of transport, I used to be vaguely conscious that there was a probability we’d hail a Waymo. Considered one of my crew members fired up their Waymo One app, an utility that resembles fashionable ride-hailing apps. The robotaxi was booked, and we waited by the kerb outdoors the resort.
It’s a Waymo, however it’s also a Jaguar. Sure, the Waymos in San Francisco are Jaguar I-Tempo, a battery-electric crossover by Jaguar Land Rover. Moments after recognizing the automotive, we have been inside it. The very first thing I seen was there was nobody within the driver’s seat.
“The motive force’s seat is off-limits, however be happy to take a seat in some other out there seat,” reads the Waymo One rulebook. Additionally, Waymo One vehicles permit as much as 4 passengers.
The app setup is pretty easy, and inside minutes, you’ll be able to have a look at your first experience on display. My vacation spot? Florella Noe, a nice Italian restaurant, was an outing deliberate by the crew.
Inside a Waymo robotaxi: The empty driver’s seat of a Jaguar I-Tempo. (Picture: Bijin Jose/The Indian Categorical)
The app, very similar to Uber, exhibits the estimated time of arrival, road maps, and charges. All this whereas, I saved questioning, with a human driver, you wave or make eye contact. However what would you do with an autonomous automotive? Sure, you merely stand there and wait. Minutes later, the Waymo automotive pulled up easily. These vehicles stand out on the road resulting from their miniature domes on the roof, that are primarily dome-shaped lidar models with a bunch of sensors and cameras.
As soon as the automotive arrived, all it wanted was to faucet ‘Unlock’ on the app to open the automotive and get inside. Surprisingly, it felt a bit bizarre and calming on the identical time. The automotive greeted us with a welcome message and a few security reminders. The automotive has cameras on the roof, all sides, and even inside. The passenger seat within the entrance additionally has a touchscreen the place you’ll be able to regulate music, see route particulars, and so on.
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Our journey started on the Intercontinental Lodge and continued to the Italian restaurant. It was a 15-minute experience, and Waymo acquired us to the spot simply in time. As surreal because it feels, a driverless automotive made its manner by means of the busy site visitors of San Francisco, merging into the chaos similar to some other automotive.
The experience went on easily with no large problem en route. Nonetheless, I might sense that I used to be sitting in a automobile that was really pondering for itself, as you can really feel it cease and wait patiently for the indicators or perhaps a pedestrian to cross or one other rushing automotive to cross by. Waymo managed all of it cautiously. It paused when wanted and moved solely as soon as it was completely certain it was protected to proceed. For a second, I felt it did a lot better than some human drivers I do know.
It felt otherworldly to look at Waymo navigate intersections, obey site visitors indicators, and even decelerate for cyclists and jaywalkers. It didn’t hurry by means of indicators like most of us would; moderately, it waited, calculated and moved with precision. It signalled fellow commuters correctly and made gradual and wider turns. All of this indicated that the sensors on these vehicles have been doing a outstanding job.
Are they getting higher?
In keeping with some current studies, Waymo vehicles are quickly evolving, albeit not simply technologically. Reportedly, autonomous vehicles have begun to mimic human-like behaviour, together with seen indicators of impatience at pedestrian crossings.
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In keeping with researchers, of their remark, the vehicles started inching ahead even earlier than pedestrians had absolutely cleared the street. It is a trait that’s usually noticed in rushed human drivers. This examine was carried out by Professor William Riggs from the College of San Francisco and a reporter who seen a peculiar manner the Waymo automotive began rolling at a crossing.
“From an evolutionary standpoint, you’re seeing much more anticipation and assertiveness from the automobiles,” Riggs was quoted as saying by The Each day Mail.
The Waymo robotaxi gathers details about the street circumstances, fine-tuning its algorithm alongside the best way. These vehicles are recognized to comply with guidelines strictly, even at the price of irritating fellow drivers. In keeping with the corporate, the brand new behaviour is deliberate. Waymo’s product director, David Margines, instructed the publication that engineers are tweaking the automobiles to drive extra assertively. This goals to make robotaxis extra predictable and environment friendly in site visitors, thereby decreasing hesitancy.
Despite the fact that Waymo is proving to be a safer possibility, it does have a darkish aspect. Autonomous taxis from Waymo have been concerned in roughly 700 crashes since 2021, together with incidents involving canine and sensor failures. Not all incidents have been Waymo’s fault; many of those concerned human driver errors or different components. Nonetheless, as they change into extra assertive, there’s a new fear lingering, as some critics even worry that security could also be compromised, particularly in edge circumstances the place people depend on judgement moderately than guidelines.
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When can we count on driverless vehicles on Indian streets?
India is not any stranger to innovation, and whereas expertise for driverless vehicles exists, we now have our personal distinctive set of challenges that would gradual large-scale deployment in comparison with the US. In sensible phrases, Indian roads are numerous; their denominations differ from highways to roads to slender lanes and numerous unmarked roads. Our roads are continuously marred by obstructions equivalent to distributors, livestock, parked automobiles, and, total, an absence of lane self-discipline.
Throughout my expertise with Waymo, the on-road self-discipline was evident, as if everybody was following a rhythm. No rushing bikers have been making an attempt to overhaul from both aspect; largely, automobiles of all sizes maintained lane decorum. Quite the opposite, on Indian roads, frequent obstructions might seemingly hinder AI programs from navigating reliably.
One other notable distinction is that not like within the US, many Indian roads could lack lane markings, operational site visitors indicators, and even standardised signage. Autonomous automobiles closely depend on such particulars for decision-making. Additionally, ours is a mixed-traffic surroundings, that means roads embrace vehicles, rickshaws, buses, bikes, carts, pedestrians, strays, and so on. This absence of uniformity makes it tough for AV algorithms which might be principally educated on datasets based mostly on Western driving habits.
Robotaxis additionally require high-definition 3D maps, and with fixed constructions and rerouting, even static maps will not be dependable at instances. In relation to connectivity, robotaxis depend upon cloud connectivity for real-time updates and distant supervision. Patchy networks or poor bandwidth in sure areas could hinder efficiency or result in security issues.
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Moreover, as of 2025, there isn’t any clear regulatory framework for deploying driverless vehicles in India. Additionally, we now have tens of millions of individuals employed as drivers; widespread automation could disrupt livelihoods and certain result in social resistance. When in comparison with China or the US, India at present lacks large-scale, homegrown gamers aggressively engaged on autonomous automobile applied sciences. Whatever the hurdles, there’s optimism as many large gamers, equivalent to Tata and Mahindra, are actively exploring the expertise.
Self-driving vehicles are likely to set off a variety of opinions. Whereas some see them as the beginning of a dystopian future the place mankind is bereft of jobs, others see it as a protected and smarter different to human error behind the wheel. For a metropolis like San Francisco, the place folks spend hours commuting every day, self-driving vehicles are proving to be transformative. It helps many reclaim time spent driving to proceed working or unwind from a protracted day. Though job displacement is an actual concern, the upside is commonly profitable. If automobiles like these can navigate safely and persistently with none distractions, then there’s much more ready to be explored.