A construction zone. Car broke down. A double-parked truck. red A motorcycle policeman with white and blue colors has been deployed.
with a custom-built Zoox robot during an hour-long tour along the Las Vegas Strip CES 2025 It wasn't a joke. A second shorter ride the following evening is less effective. On both rides, the Zoox robot was able to handle the entire ride without incident, mainly due to comfort.
Still, The raids aren't fully zombies yet. It's almost here, For the first time in the autonomous car, Those rides may seem innocent. As a seasoned AV tester, I know very well.
In particular, how the Zoox robot handled complex situations; Or what some would call an edge case, the two rides are still impressive. Importantly, I understand that riding in a custom-built robot taxi is hard to call conventional without a robot or driver, but the rides are normal.
Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse LevinsonMy companion on a long 16-mile ride aims to be as superior as getting into an Uber or Lyft. That's the focus of Zoox employees working at the Las Vegas depot. Headquartered in Foster City, California; At the factory in Fremont, California; Boston, San Diego, in offices in Seattle and the UK
Their progress is evident. Since my last ride at Foster City in October, the company has rolled out its next-generation Zoox robot, with several hardware upgrades and changes. suspension system; brakes, Levinson said there are hundreds of small changes from the previous generation, including electronic drive units and more powerful and efficient computers.
Other notable changes include a much-needed kushta bench; adjustments to the in-vehicle touch screen user interface; It also includes a two-way audio interface outside the door that allows the Zoox operations team to communicate with first responders and law enforcement officials.
Previous Zoox robots have had external speakers. Now in the new version, Zoox employees can initiate if they try to mess with the vehicle, according to the company.
Hi Owned by Amazon The autonomous vehicle company has already started testing. purpose-built; electricity Autonomous robots A little more than a year ago, on public streets in Las Vegas, Zoox started small in June 2023, first with a one-mile stretch around the city's southwest area where its Las Vegas facilities are located. It grew from there.
The company now uses its robot on public roads around its depot. It is being tested along the length of the Strip and on some roads adjacent to it. Zoox does not open the robot to the public in Las Vegas. Today, only select media and staff are invited to ride in the city, Levinson said.
Zoox hopes to have public rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco by 2025.
Both of my Zoox robot rides feel safe. The vehicle accelerated smoothly and changed lanes with confidence, without any of the stuttering or hesitation I've experienced on demo rides with other companies over the years.
However, the Zoox still has a bit of room for improvement on the comfort front, and at times the autopilot system made choices that might be expected from a less experienced driver. For example, Both times the robot encountered a construction zone that closed the far right lane. Most human drivers will merge early. The Zoox robot drives right to the cones and then cautiously merges into the other lane.
On the first three rides, THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC TRAFFIC AND IMMEDIATELY STOPPED, SLAMMING THE BRAKES SLIGHTLY HARD. It's never safe, but the impact is a bit jarring. The suspension is still a bit stiff for what a user might expect for a premium robot ride.
These little moments are few and fleeting. But what stands out is how Zoox handles two complex collision-related situations. In one case, the Zoox robot was in the right lane and approached a stop light. Upon reaching the intersection, the vehicle slowed down and stopped several car lengths in front of the next vehicle. I looked out the window and realized I had just been involved in a car crash. There were no hazard lights, but as people crowded around, an injured man sat on a curb.
By that time, the traffic was heavy and there was little space left to escape. Within a minute, the Zoox robot came back up; slowly, Then its left pointer is connected and finally added to the next path. The entire event took less than two minutes.
The ability to drive self-driving cars safely does not guarantee business success. But it's the foundation you need to build a business. The two rides I took showed that Zoox is ready for its next big jump and opening to the public.