First Look Inside Amazon’s Zoox Robotaxi.

I dunno, seems aight to me...

[luna_tunes]

I'm amused by the Waymo photobomb at 1:26

[SilvaD]

Zoox's robotaxi looks a lot like the Keolis Self-Driving Shuttle Bus that crashed on its first day of operation here in Las Vegas back in 2018. The white Toyota Highlanders they also use are a real pain, they stop in the middle of traffic for no reason!

[piperjohn_]

Zoox has more of a "transportation pod" vibe.

[UrbanAlleyway]

My neighborhood (Russian Hill in San Francisco) has been a hotbed for training and testing autonomous vehicles. Many, many Waymo and Cruise vehicles have been driving around here for years (Cruise halted a year ago after the big pedestrian accident). I've also seen an occasional Zoox vehicle (regular sedans) driving around here, but very few. Currently I'll easily see 20 Waymos daily while walking my dogs, but I'll only see one or two Zoox all week, and still only with safety drivers. I think Zoox is very far behind and it will probably take years before they are ready to offer autonomous taxi service in San Francisco.

[Aerith]

Oooh! Do you think we could get more videos about autonomous vehicles from you? Pretty cool that you got invited to this event!

[raymobula]

Don’t think the design will confuse drivers. Given it has lights. The cube design makes it direction independent.

[jeannedarcy]

Thanks for the detailed info. Also, loving the sweater with the mushrooms. Did you make it?

[korvandenzel]

Thanks for the video! Really interested how testing in the mixed zones with cyclists and pedestrians will work out.

[manp]

I get the feeling these cars won't be changing direction much, maybe only at the start or end of a ride. If it's a big deal for someone, perhaps they could signal the system to pause, switch seats, then resume.

As for showing which way it's going, besides the obvious lights, how about a front/back structure that opens up when moving forward, like a nose? Zoox seems like a real contender to Waymo, and being owned by Amazon is smart. They could tap into their Prime customers and delivery network in a big way!

BTW, I notice the Waymo checkign out the event at 1:24 haha :)

[matthewvitale]

Those shots of the sensors are crazy, I’m surprised they let ya get so close. Good stuff.

[VirginiaGonzalez-rsbu]

I love your 🍄sweater! Great review, thank you!

[tuqe]

It’s a Bus, I don’t get why they keep trying to invent the bus

[TheTransitGeeks]

Thanks for the great info, Sophia! I’m curious when we’ll see these in revenue service on the streets of San Francisco. I’d like to get on the waitlist.

[oooooooo]

I love your cardigan! zoox looks cute also

[martincday]

There isn't much point comparing Zoox with Waymo in terms of the physical vehicle. Waymo uses a modified production car and has been focusing its efforts on the autonomous driving, associated systems and infrastructure and proving that there is a profitable business model. Once they are proven, it would then be a relative simple step to either build themselves or collaborate with a vehicle manufacture to build a purpose built Robotaxi.

There are bound to be teething problems and if the only way to recover a stranded Robotaxi is through a recovery truck, the general public are not really know for their patience and that could become a problem.

The only valid comparison would be in respect to the autonomous driving capabilities, the ride app and the remote assistance and recovery service.

[waffle-waymo]

wait I think I saw you at the event, were you using a DJI osmo pocket 3? haha

[RachelWolfe]

interesting seats! I think the charging ports look like nostrils, anyone else?

[lnebres]

Cool vid, Sophia. I wonder if it'll allow someone with their pet aboard. ::chuckle::

[johndillingerrd]

No Sophie how could you😢
Zoox is opps

[DanaGould]

I guess they assume everyone carries around a charging cable.

I mean I don't, but I can't speak for anyone else.