Hacker Timesnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> I recall a particular incident where Waymo was marketing their car being able to drive a blind man to a drive-thru, way before the thing could safely drive more than a mile on it's own.

How is a marketing video relevant from 2015 relevant to their safety record? They weren't even operating a public robotaxi service back then.

> My understanding is that in 2021, it still can't navigate parking lots (which would preclude using it for drive-thrus).

Completely false. Here is one navigating a Costco parking lot (can't get any busier than that) [1]. If you watch any videos in that YouTube channel, it picks you up and drops you off right from the parking lot. Yes, you can't use it for drive-thrus, but it doesn't qualify as "lying about capabilities".

> Later, they were talking about how sophisticated their technology was: It can detect the hand signals of someone directing traffic in the middle of an intersection. Funny that a few months later, a journalist got an admission out of a Waymo engineer that the car wouldn't even stop at a stoplight unless the stoplight was explicitly mapped (with centimeter-level precision) so the car knew to look for it and where to look for the signal.

Here is one recognizing a handheld stop sign from a police officer while it stopped for an emergency vehicle [2].

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5CXcJD3mcU

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpDbX1FViWk&t=75s



The workers doing road repairs in my neighborhood don't even use handheld stop signs. Just vague and confusing gestures.


I think in those cases a Waymo vehicle would probably require remote assistance. It's a really difficult scenario for a computer to make sense of.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: