{"id":25908,"date":"2021-12-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-18T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/?post_type=ftm_episode&p=25908"},"modified":"2021-12-18T12:42:38","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T17:42:38","slug":"autonomous-vehicle","status":"publish","type":"ftm_episode","link":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/series\/hard-reset\/autonomous-vehicle","title":{"rendered":"Inside Zoox: The robot vehicle totally changing transportation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Riding in a Zoox car is boring, which is exactly how the company likes it. Every time a rider says they had a boring ride, Zoox knows it\u2019s one step closer to delivering fully autonomous vehicular transportation to the masses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s boring because it\u2019s smooth,\u201d says Zoox CEO Aicha Evans. \u201cOne of our motives in the experience and design is you don\u2019t even think about driving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and don\u2019t call it a car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not a car.\u201d <\/p>Jesse Levinson, Co-Founder and  CTO  at Zoox.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact you cannot drive a Zoox vehicle by yourself, that it doesn\u2019t have manual controls, that in our view distinguishes it from what people traditionally refer to as cars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Zoox views its vehicles as an antidote to cars. If Zoox has its way, no one will own cars in the future. Instead, people will use its fleet of on-call, fully-autonomous vehicles. Whenever a person needs a ride, they\u2019ll hail a Zoox, much like one would an Uber or Lyft, and the driverless vehicle will pick them up at their door, drop them off at their destination, and then head out to service the next passenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Car ownership could become obsolete and in its stead may be a safer, greener, more reliable form of vehicular transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How automated vehicles work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Zoox vehicles are distinct from Teslas and other cars that have partially automated driving systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one, a Zoox vehicle more closely resembles a tram car that shuttles people between terminals at an airport than it does a traditional car. It has a pair of double doors on each side of the vehicle and inside there are two rows of seats facing each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The body of the car is made from carbon fiber, and the vehicle’s onboard computer is docked in the floor, beneath the passengers\u2019 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aesthetically, the vehicle is more boxy than a traditional car and perfectly symmetrical, both front-to-back and side-to-side. This design allows for more precise steering.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only reason cars aren\u2019t symmetrical today is you have to drive them in one direction,\u201d says Levinson. \u201cFor example, you don\u2019t have to do three-point or five-point turns. If you pick someone up in their driveway, you can just flip the lights and drive the other way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The major difference between Zoox and other partially automated vehicles, though, is that Zoox aren\u2019t partially automated \u2014 they\u2019re fully<\/em> automated. They require no human activity for navigation. They\u2019re completely controlled by the vehicle\u2019s software operating system. A human couldn\u2019t even drive a Zoox if he wanted to; the vehicles don\u2019t have steering wheels. (Hence, them not being cars at all.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This level of complexity is called Level 5 in the automated vehicle industry. For reference, the popular assisted driving feature on Tesla cars is classified as Level 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will be awhile before everyday consumers get to ride in a Level 5 Zoox vehicle. The regulatory framework for fully automated vehicles still needs to be worked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the meantime, Zoox\u2019s Level 3 autonomous cars \u2014 yes, these ones are cars \u2014 can be found driving themselves around Las Vegas, San Francisco and Seattle, with human passengers riding along, ready to take the wheel at any moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoox\u2019s vehicles use light detection and ranging sensors (LIDAR, for short) to create three-dimensional maps of their surroundings in real time. The LIDAR sensors work in conjunction with radar and optical cameras to refine their 3-D mapping, and the cumulative data informs the vehicle\u2019s on-board navigation system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety first<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The prospect of fully automated vehicles might seem unsettling to some, but it stands to be even safer than our current roadway system. Humans, for all their great qualities, are notoriously bad drivers. The wide array of sensors on Zoox vehicles will give them a better sense of their surroundings than a human could ever hope to achieve with her own eyes and ears. And software systems aren\u2019t prone to texting and driving or other such distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to that day where we wonder how we ever accepted and tolerated 94 percent of crashes being caused by human error,\u201d Evans says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the crashes caused by humans occur when they make complicated maneuvers, such as three-point turns and U-turns, Levinson adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot only can Zoox automated vehicles see everything all the time, we also have 270 degree coverage on every corner of the vehicle.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Levinson explains, referring to the cameras and sensors mounted on the four corners of the vehicle. \u201cSo we can even see around objects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A more equitable transportation system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re excited about Zoox fully automated vehicles, don\u2019t get your hopes up about owning one in the future. Zoox vehicles are not for public consumption. Rather, Zoox will operate akin to a taxi service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end goal is not just a successful automated vehicle company, but a complete dismantling of car culture as we currently know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are challenging personal car ownership, something that is ingrained in the psyche of this nation,\u201d Evans says. \u201cAnd we are challenging this openly and proudly, because we believe the benefits for society outweigh the idea of people having as many cars as they want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving to a system like Zoox\u2019s will help create a more equitable society, she adds. Transportation access is not evenly distributed, with many disadvantaged communities lacking access to reliable transportation. Services such as Zoox can provide it for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the end of car ownership has even more profound effects than that. It could mean more communal green spaces, fewer emissions, less noise pollution, more pedestrianism and a general increase in quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to think about this as transportation as a service,\u201d Evans says. And that service is potentially world-changing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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