Simulations are all well and good, but out in the real world, fully autonomous vehicles will have to contend with a whole variety of unforeseen scenarios and potential hazards. That includes fallen wires and other storm-related issues, as a pair of Cruise AVs recently discovered in San Francisco.
Per a recent post to social media by Twitter user @PopRag, recent storms in California resulted in some wires blocking an intersection, which two Cruise AVs failed to detect.
Apparently, the intersection was blocked-off by caution tape, but the Cruise AVs either did not detect the tape, or failed to register it as an issue, leading to the two autonomous vehicles to get “tangled up like flies in sticky traps,” per the social post.
Photos taken at the intersection show what appears to be a four-way stop, where one Cruise AV (“Zircon”) is just ahead of a second Cruise AV. The lead vehicle is seen with caution tape wrapped around the sensor array on the roof, with a street wire also thrown into the mix. The vehicle in the rear also appears to be tangled up in the street wire.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that a Cruise AV has been involved in some sort of incident out on public roads. Per previous GM Authority coverage, the Cruise fully autonomous vehicles have been involved in several incidents wherein the AVs have blocked traffic. One incident last year even resulted in a collision and injuries.
Cruise published its first safety report in November, highlighting 500,000 driverless miles without any major incidents. Nevertheless, one recent study indicates that drivers are becoming increasingly fearful of autonomous vehicles.
More weather drama in my neighborhood. 2 driverless cars didnt detect 1) the caution tape blocking my street and 2) the down @SFMTA_Muni wires. Now theyre tangled up like flies in sticky traps. 🌧 🤷🏽♂️ 🌧 @SFGate @kron4news @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/cLdGjvorRE
— John-Phillip 🐳 (@PopRag) March 22, 2023
Regardless, Cruise continues to push the technology forward, extending its real-world testing to daytime driverless rides last November, and expanding its rider program to Phoenix and Austin last December.
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Comments
Do you think that a yellow tape will block a. AV or even curious regular drivers? If the street needs to be blocked or restricted, use the large orange road blocks.
GM fan I agree someone got lazy and didn’t put barriers out to block traffic. Just imagine if you see these things go past you on the highway with driver sitting in them.
Yes, anyone could have misjudged the caution tape. However, isn’t the ‘autonomous ‘ brain supposed to be smarter than humans? Either way hope nobody was electrocuted.
No EV… The computer brain 🧠 is only as smart as the human brain 🧠 that programs the computer! Besides if these things do crash into another car how do go about with police and the insurance company to see who’s at fault the empty “car” or the human in the their car.
AV’s make no sense… they ultimately will only financially serve the 1%
If that…
wewe… AV’s make a lot of sense for Big Corporations like FedEx, UPS, any driving job that can be done without paying an employee the AV vehicle’s can do this for a lot less and while you’ll still need someone on the truck to deliver the packages the companies can pay these employees a lot less if they are not classified as Essential workers by not being a human driver. However this is probably a long way off yet as this video clip is proof that AV’s are very very far from replacing humans!
It’s good that Cruise experience this issue – now it will be fixed. You won’t spend time fixing a problem you don’t know you have. Now, with this incident, Cruise knows this is an issue, and it will be addressed. That’s a good thing. Every day, better and better….
Will it be a giid thing when someone is injured or maimed in one of these things because os someone’s screw up?
Again these things are dangerous and should be banned!
The fact that these death traps are being pushed onto roads speaks volumes on the direction things are going and taking away yet more of our freedoms. Will never set foot in one ever!!!