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Uber's Self-Driving Trucks Division Is Dead (techcrunch.com)
Uber is shuttering its self-driving unit, reports TechCrunch. The company will reportedly stop development of self-driving trucks and instead focus its efforts on self-driving cars. "We recently took the important step of returning to public roads in Pittsburgh, and as we look to continue that momentum, we believe having our entire team's energy and expertise focused on this effort is the best path forward," Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber Advanced Technologies Group, said in an emailed statement. From the report: Uber Freight, a business unit that helps truck drivers connect with shipping companies, is unaffected by this decision. "Rather than having two groups working side by side, focused on different vehicle platforms, I want us instead collaborating as one team, according to an email reviewed by TechCrunch that was sent by Meyhofer to employees. "I know we're all super proud of what the Trucks team has accomplished, and we continue to see the incredible promise of self-driving technology applied to moving freight across the country. But we believe delivering on self-driving for passenger applications first, and then bringing it to freight applications down the line, is the best path forward. For now, we need the focus of one team, with one clear objective." The company will pivot employees focused on self-driving trucks to other work that revolves around self-driving technology.
I have no citations to present but I think they are going about it backwards. Concentrate on the long haul trucks and the shipping industry, then leverage that know how and experience into self driving cars. The behaviors and needs of big trucks seems more predictable, the trucking industry seem more receptive and more likely to finance and adopt the technology. Then after having success there they can spread to other areas.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
One would think automated delivery truck would be much easier; they go between some loading dock and some other loading dock, not random street corners. And deliveries are made in the early hours of the morning when there's much less traffic.
They know they'll never develop viable self-driving technology.
They need to keep pretending they can, as it's the end-goal to turn a profit on their main business, ride-sharing.
They'll lose investors if they give up on that. The company is still running at a loss, without constant investment it's going to collapse.
...it has simply hit a wall. *rimshot*
I'll see myself out. ;)
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Translation: "the path to making this stuff work is a lot harder than we thought. So the path to profits is a waaaaays out. So, we're going to "combine" these units, and expect us to dribble out layoffs as we 'realize synergies' "
The link in that article goes to goldseek.com, which has dick all to do with Uber trucks.
What is going on here? Are that many people really ranting without clicking on the link, or has it been subsequently hacked?
I'm sure a lot of people would be just fine if merely 80% of their driving needs were automatable, or their truck drove itself 80% of the way while they napped.
Very few humans can do 100% of all driving tasks too (our accident rate is proof of that). Self-driving cars may never be perfect, but they're already good enough today for Waymo's taxis to be carrying unaccompanied passengers in Phoenix as we speak.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
It was probably to be expected seeing how all of Otto's tech was built on stuff the founder had pilfered from Google's self-driving car project after leaving it and when Google found out (IIRC trough a shared supplier accidentally cc:ing them some of their own documents) they got the courts to put a stop to using any of it.
"Why should I want to make anything up? Life's bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it."
More than the 1.3 million people a year human drivers kill.
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Lennart, you won (somehow, sort of...); now fuck off, eh? ;)
That means fewer people will be.
And before you rant about how autonomous cars and trucks will save lives because human drivers suck, I agree. I just want competent companies building them, not Uber.