Zoox, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Amazon, just announced its second software recall in under a month. In one of the two recent incidents, motorcyclists crashed into Zoox test vehicles. These collisions should cause great concern not only for anyone on the road but for the reliability of Zoox’s self-driving technology.
Back in March, the company recalled 258 vehicles after failures in its autonomous driving system. When unaddressed, these problems can result in surprise emergency braking, endangering all passengers as well as others sharing the roadway. Not just weeks before the latest recall, Zoox had pulled about 270 vehicles out of service. This move came in the wake of a severe crash in Las Vegas involving a Zoox robotaxi and a passenger vehicle. It was this incident that drew bombastic scrutiny. It sparked worries that the self-driving software couldn’t effectively predict the movements of other vehicles on the roadway.
The recent high-profile crashes—including one in which a motorcyclist crashed into the back of a parked Zoox AV—have only added to the company’s troubles. As the e-scooterist crashed to the pavement next to an unmoving Zoox vehicle. All at once, the vehicle started rolling and made an entire turn without further contact.
“The Zoox vehicle was stopped at the time of contact. The e-scooterist fell to the ground directly next to the vehicle. The robotaxi then began to move and stopped after completing the turn, but did not make further contact with the e-scooterist.” – Zoox
The trend from these recalls and incidents is concerning – not just for Zoox’s autonomous driving capabilities but their safety culture and overall safety practices. The company has been rapidly iterating on its technology. It is coming under heightened scrutiny to demonstrate that its systems are capable of safely operating in dense urban environments.
