Robotaxi: the driverless car set to revolutionize transportation

The so-called robotaxi is a vehicle capable of transporting people autonomously, without the need for a driver. Would you dare to enter one of these?

Autonomous cars are no longer science fiction. While it’s hard to believe, these vehicles are already on the streets of some cities in the US, China and Singapore, revolutionizing human mobility.

Although it sounds scary, being a passenger in a driverless car is actually much safer than riding in a regular car.

According to Waymo, a technology development company for autonomous cars, which belongs to Google's Alphabet Inc., there are about 1.35 million deaths in traffic accidents every year.

In the photo, a Waymo car in San Francisco, California (USA).

Therefore, multinationals such as Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Volvo, Tesla and Google, among others, invest heavily in safety items and guarantee that their cars will save millions of lives, all over the world.

Hyundai developed the IONIQ 5 (pictured), a robotaxi that integrates more than 30 sensors, including cameras, radars and the LiDAR system (Light Detection and Ranging), a light detection sensor capable of capturing data and measuring the distance between objects.

The car has a 360-degree awareness, with high-resolution imaging and ultra-long-range object detection. According to Hyundai, the robotaxi service will be available in Las Vegas, USA, in 2023.

In addition to the United States, self-driving cars are already on the streets of China and Singapore.

In the photo, a robotaxi in Yizhuang, in Beijing, China.

There are still a few cities that offer this innovative means of transport. Before taking to the streets, the authorities have to update the legislation to allow the circulation of these vehicles, ensuring that they comply with the appropriate safety parameters.

In San Francisco (USA), for example, Cruise, a General Motors company, obtained authorization from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to operate at night, from 10 pm to 6 am, according to CNN.

Reuters magazine quoted Tesla chief executive Elon Musk as saying in April 2022 that the company intends to begin mass production of its robotaxi, without a steering wheel or pedals, in 2024.

One of Tesla's main focuses is to develop high-performance cars. Its electric vehicles have the fastest acceleration on the market, as well as very high quality video and audio equipment. The company's intention is to unite power with automation.

Like the US, China is also a pioneer in the implementation of autonomous cars. Currently, Chinese robotaxis drive through some residential neighborhoods in the capital, Beijing, in the Yizjuang district (pictured), as well as in the cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

'Apollo Go' is Baidu's robot taxi service, China's technology leader. Since its launch in 2020, it has already made more than 1 million trips in 10 Chinese cities, according to Reuters.

According to CNN, Germany has already passed an autonomous driving law and some cities are testing home deliveries with robots.

In addition to being safer, most robotaxis are fully electric, run on clean energy and produce zero emissions, improving air quality in urban areas.

The greater the number of robotaxis, the greater the agility on the roads and avenues, since the automated cars are controlled by interconnected intelligent systems, capable of reducing traffic jams.

One of the challenges of an autonomous car is taking care of its cybersecurity. As your system is connected to an external network, passengers should have another type of protection to prevent hacking.

Currently, there are several levels of automation, defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

At level 1, for example, the vehicle has a system that helps the driver, with lane change warning and cruise control, which allows you to set or adjust the vehicle's speed automatically.

At level 2, the driver performs only a few tasks. The system includes parking assistance and traffic-adapted navigation. The vehicle is capable of acting independently, but lacks object detection and response.

Although at level 3 a driver is still required, the movement of the car is basically autonomous, depending on traffic conditions. The driver has to intervene in very specific situations.

Hyundai's robotaxi, mentioned earlier, is at level 4. Here, the vehicle performs all tasks, under specific circumstances, without human intervention. It is the vehicle itself that defines the route and responds to environmental conditions.

Level 5 already has full automation, the car performs all tasks in all circumstances. There is no steering wheel or pedals and the controls are all automated.

United States and China join efforts to develop a car with the maximum level of automation. The Chinese company Zeekr develops, in collaboration with the American Waymo, a 100% electric robotaxi.

According to the Spanish newspaper, La Vanguardia, "it is a vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, developed by these two technological giants, which made its first test drives in Germany in January 2023".

In the same way, Amazon’s Zoox driverless transportation company has started testing its robotaxi on open public roads in California, with employees on board, for now.

Photo: Zoox