Self-driving cars have been a fixture of sci-fi fiction for decades, but the world is one step closer to this reality as Amazon has tested its driverless taxis on the roads for the first time ever.
Amazon acquired the driverless transportation firm Zoox back in 2020 for a whopping $1.2 billion - and now it's made a massive step towards bringing the technology to the masses.
The company announced that it had deployed the so-called 'robo-taxi' on open public roads with passengers for the first time on Saturday (11 February).
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Zoox's 'passengers' were made up of employees, as the test run was for the company's staff shuttle service set to role out at its headquarters in Foster City, California.
Once its progress continues and the firm is able to secure additional government clearances, the plan is to bring this to the general public in the future.
Just think – no more awkward taxi chats. All you'll have to do is jump in and enjoy the ride.
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One question that's been raised time and again, however, is the safety of self-driving cars.
There have been numerous attempts over the years to launch autonomous vehicles, many of which have ended in disaster.
There was the driverless race car that crashed into a wall, and let's not forget the Google vehicle that crashed into a bus.
Thankfully, no humans were hurt in these incidents, but it has certainly left people feeling apprehensive about whether or not this technology is ready.
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However, Zoox's test run will hopefully ease concerns, especially if its upcoming employee shuttle program proves to be a success.
In a statement shared on Monday (February 13), Zoox's chief executive office Aicha Evans spoke about the recent feat.
"Becoming the first company to operate a purpose-built robotaxi with passengers on open public roads in
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California is a significant milestone in not only Zoox’s journey, but for the autonomous vehicle industry at large," she said.
"Today, with the announcement of the maiden run of our autonomous employee shuttle, we are adding to the progress this industry has seen over the last year and bringing Zoox one step closer to a commercialized purpose-built robo-taxi service for the general public."
As for the nitty gritty, the robotaxi is able to transport up to four people at a time on a public route between Zoox’s two main office buildings.
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Traveling up to 35 mph, it's capable of handling left-hand and right-hand turns, bi-directional turns, traffic lights, cyclists, pedestrians, vehicles, and other road agents on this route.
Looking to the future, Zoox's co-founder and chief technology office Jesse Levinson said: "With the ability to operate our vehicle on public roads and the deployment of our employee shuttle service, we’ll continue to refine and improve our technology and operations as we prepare for our commercial service launch."
Topics: Technology, Cars, Electric Cars, Amazon
Daisy Phillipson