Waymo will issue a software recall for its robotaxis after complaints about their erratic driving around school buses. The company said it’s a voluntary software recall, and it will be filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) early this week.
Software recalls function differently than traditional safety recalls. As Engadget reports, they are mostly scheduled with over-the-air (OTA) updates and don’t necessarily require the cars to be taken off the road.
In October, Vemo faced problems around school buses. At the time, NHTSA launched an investigation following media reports of Vimo AV driving past a stopped school bus in Atlanta.
Immediately after the start of the investigation. Later, Waymo said it fixed the issues with an update. However, they remained unresolved.
On Nov. 20, the Austin Independent School District wrote to Waymo that it had evidence of at least 19 violations caused by the company’s robotaxis around school buses. In one of those five incidents, a car started to move after a student passed him but was still on the road.
In its letter, the school district also requested that Waymo cease operations during regular school choice and drop-off times until the issue is resolved. On November 24, NHTSA complied with the request, asking Waymo to confirm whether it plans to cease operations or file a recall to address the issue.
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Waymo confirmed the recall last week. “Holding the highest safety standards means when our behavior must be better,” Waymo’s chief safety officer Mauricio Pia told The Verge. “As a result, we have decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA related to the appropriate slow and stop in these scenarios.”
The defect was found in Vemo’s fifth-generation Automatic Driving System (ADS). The company previously recalled about 1,200 vehicles after the same software caused its cars to run into roadside barriers, such as chains and gates.
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Jibeen is a tech news writer based in Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of the iGex blog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a wider audience.
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