Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, is planning to expand the testing of its autonomous driving technology this year to ten new cities, reported The Verge.
This trials is part of the company’s strategy to assess the adaptability of its self-driving system to different environments and driving conditions.
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Along with ongoing tests in Truckee, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Upstate New York, and Tokyo, new sites include San Diego and Las Vegas, reported Reuters.
Las Vegas has become a hub for autonomous vehicle development, with Amazon’s Zoox planning to roll out public rideshare services later this year.
Waymo expansion efforts product manager Nick Rose was quoted by The Verge as saying: “So what we’re looking for is places that are going to challenge our system and look very, very different.
“Las Vegas is pretty interesting because, I mean, if you’ve ever been to Vegas, it’s pretty unique among a lot of US cities.”
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By GlobalDataThe autonomous driving technology company’s broader goal is to refine its technology to the point where minimal testing is required before launching robotaxi services in new areas.
This includes adapting its perception systems to recognise local variations, such as the appearance of emergency vehicles in different cities.
Waymo’s approach involves deploying fewer than ten manually driven vehicles in each city for a couple of months, focusing on busy commercial districts where future robotaxis are likely to operate.
The company is also engaging with local officials in preparation for the testing phase.
The expansion of testing to new cities follows Waymo’s previous trials in diverse weather conditions and is part of its ongoing efforts to achieve “generalisability” in its autonomous driving technology.
The company plans to launch robotaxi operations in cities such as Austin, Atlanta, and Miami in future.
