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Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

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Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#101

Post by tim333 »

martythemaniak wrote: post #11

What's interesting is that about 80% Tesla's entire valuation is FSD and Optimus, and the underlying assumption with FSD is that it'll magically turn on for all Tesla's in a day and they'll have a monopoly and extract all the profit needed for that valuation. Apart from any comparisons with Waymo, I suspect self-driving will broadly follow other AI tech, where we'll see a proliferation of competitive self-driving tec…

There is already a proliferation of self driving tech in various stages of readiness, especially if you include Chinese companies.

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#102

Post by AlotOfReading »

cyanydeez wrote: post #33
riffraff wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you misinterpreted, OP meant that robots will respect the rules, which humans typically don't, e.g. driving at 50 where the limit is 30.

yes, but no. Yes, they'll do it for now. No, once they're as normal as humans, they'll definitely be tweaked to maximize profit. And that will include as much speeding as risk/reward dictates. So yeah, they'll do the same thing as humans eventually.

A company that systematically speeds is a nice fat piggybank for governments wanting a little extra money in their budget or a political win. These vehicles are logging their current locations and speeds constantly against a map of known speed limits. It's much easier for a government to request those records and assess a fine than go after individual motorists with politically unpopular measures like speed traps and traffic cameras.

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#103

Post by acdha »

PhunkyPhil wrote: post #59
martythemaniak wrote: post #11

What's interesting is that about 80% Tesla's entire valuation is FSD and Optimus, and the underlying assumption with FSD is that it'll magically turn on for all Tesla's in a day and they'll have a monopoly and extract all the profit needed for that valuation. Apart from any comparisons with Waymo, I suspect self-driving will broadly follow other AI tech, where we'll see a proliferation of competitive self-driving tec…

I think self-driving targets a problem that doesn't really exist. The issue isn't that the act of driving is a laborious task, it's simply the amount of time spent in a car, which FSD doesn't address.

I do agree that it's not the panacea some people are hoping but true self-driving would change the experience for many people from a couple hours a day of not doing anything other than listen to music / podcasts / audiobooks to being able to do real work if they have things which can be done a laptop. Since multiple generations have been moving further out to car-only suburbs, I think that'd be very popular even if it's still not as nice as having a shorter commute.

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#104

Post by crazygringo »

techterrier wrote: post #37
riffraff wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you misinterpreted, OP meant that robots will respect the rules, which humans typically don't, e.g. driving at 50 where the limit is 30.

in which case I apologise :) I've seen plenty of robotaxi huckers advocate for speed limits 'appropriate for robot response times'

I haven't.

It's part of discussions around hypothetical futures where everything is self-driving and the vehicles communicate with each other to form dense convoys on places like freeways where there aren't pedestrians.

I certainly haven't heard any mainstream suggestions that self-driving taxis ought to drive faster than humans in spaces they share with human drivers and human pedestrians.

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#105

Post by JumpCrisscross »

troupo wrote: post #97
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> way these are pushed as "solutions to cities and traffic" make making fun of the too easy It's funny. It's also dumb. An observation can be both at the same time--it's a cornerstone of humor. What it isn't is fundamentally true or revealing. > their entire social context is "never encounter another human as you go from A to B" Nope. It's recognising that humans have diverse and varying needs for interaction and pri…

> What it isn't is fundamentally true or revealing. Well, they are not a solution to transport problems, or to traffic jams. Yes, they can be complementary to other types of transportation. Yes, companies will enshittify them beyond measure if/when they reach a certain proportion of cars. > It's recognising that humans have diverse and varying needs for interaction and privacy. No. I don't think this was even uttered…

> they are not a solution to transport problems, or to traffic jams

Nor to world hunger.

> companies will enshittify them beyond measure

A hypothetical applicable to every mode of transit, private and public.

> don't think this was even uttered by any of these companies

Things can be true without being in a corporate press release. (Also, you're the one who originally argued these services' "entire social context is 'never encounter another human as you go from A to B'." If not being in a press release is an argument against one, it 's an argument against the other.)

Though, in this case, it has been said: "Waymo gives you your own personal space to focus on more meaningful things" [1].

[1] https://waymo.com/rides/

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#106

Post by standardUser »

adrr wrote: post #63
orionsbelt wrote: post #3

I have a good sense of what Waymo and Tesla’s capabilities are, but not Zoox. Can anyone here clue me in on how Zoox compares?

They are the second company to launch robotaxi services in the US.

Cruise was technically second, for whatever that's worth (apparently not much).

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#107

Post by addaon »

PhunkyPhil wrote: post #59
martythemaniak wrote: post #11

What's interesting is that about 80% Tesla's entire valuation is FSD and Optimus, and the underlying assumption with FSD is that it'll magically turn on for all Tesla's in a day and they'll have a monopoly and extract all the profit needed for that valuation. Apart from any comparisons with Waymo, I suspect self-driving will broadly follow other AI tech, where we'll see a proliferation of competitive self-driving tec…

I think self-driving targets a problem that doesn't really exist. The issue isn't that the act of driving is a laborious task, it's simply the amount of time spent in a car, which FSD doesn't address.

> The issue isn't that the act of driving is a laborious task

Said like someone who doesn't have elderly parents, and doesn't plan to age…

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#108

Post by octernion »

paulnpace wrote: post #91

I now see their development vehicles all over the valley, whereas previously if I was near the Strip that's the only region I would see them in. This valley has congestion issues pretty much all day everywhere, plus a traffic light management protocol that results in very long light cycles. Many of us when coming to a red light where there are multiple lanes and traffic is light, will make a point to not stop in the…

[flagged]

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#109

Post by acjohnson55 »

monero-xmr wrote: post #68
amenghra wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vegas is also good for many other reasons: year round good weather, lots of tourists in need of taxi services, too hot to walk, too drunk to drive, etc…

#1 place cabbies have tried to scam me. #2 being Boston. Uber is such a blessing

Baltimore was infamous for this when I lived there 15 years ago.

Re: Zoox robotaxi launches in Las Vegas

#110

Post by standardUser »

techterrier wrote: post #17

Hopefully some genius will figure out a way of joining lots of these together into a 'gigapod'. That might have enough capacity to actually work at city scale.

Putting aside their merit as urban transport, robotaxis can completely solve transportation in less dense areas, something no train can accomplish. It will be particularly valuable to the aging populations in a lot of small towns and rural areas.
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