Uber's Autonomous/Driverless Vehicle Collaboration with Toyota

News and Announcements Uber
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#1

Before the recent accident where a woman lost her life to an Uber AV crash in Arizona, Uber was considering selling its AV technology to Toyota. I don't know how the accident will affect the negotiations, but basically here are the initial details.

Uber and Toyota have been in negotiations to collaborate in the continuing development of AV technology. Uber is seeking a major game-changing player that can help them win the battle for AV supremacy against Waymo.

According to Toyota spokesperson, "We regularly exchange information about automated driving with Uber for some time now." However, as of now, there are no definitive actions that have been put in place.

Uber's decision to partner with Toyota comes after its defeat at the hands of Waymo. Another terrible glitch in Uber's AV future is the sudden death by car accident of a pedestrian in Arizona, where an Uber AV car hit the woman while under AV control, even with a safety driver in the car.

Toyota is pursuing its own AV program, and the only benefit it can get with Uber is access to a mass market, which will keep it in the automaker's race for road supremacy, fighting for its marketplace against other automakers including GM, Ford, Land Rover and more. Toyota recently partnered with Daimler and Mercedes Benz in their AV quest.

#2

Nothing is going to stop the AV snowball from rolling downhill. Even the unfortunate death of a pedestrian. All that will do is fuel the companies with data that ca be used to improve performance, and find the kink that made that happen. As the articles claim, and this is all speculation, the woman crossed the street in the middle of the block (jaywalking) and with a bicycle, she might of been riding thee cycle at the time! If that is the case, if a sudden person appears fast in front of a car, it doesn’t matter if the driver is a machine or a human, it wont stop in time. I have read a lot of articles about the AV concept and human integration, and I gave to agree, only a human free environment will enable an accident free society.

#3

You will see that the cause was the pedestrians and not the cars fault. Some accidents cannot be avoided, and based on recent coverage the woman suddenly appeared in front of the car from the shadows of the dimly lit street. A possible solution that will most probably be offered is an infra-red addition to LiDAR that will be able to see heat patterns moving close to the cars proximity.