[AutonomousVehicles] amazon zoox is testing autonomous vehicles in seattle

[Cornelius Butler]

Hi Everyone,
Amazon's Zoox self driving vehicle division is now testing in Seattle.
Article link and text are below.

Article Link:
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/18/22732813/amazon-zoox-autonomous-vehicles-seattle-rain

Article Text:

Amazon’s Zoox will test its autonomous vehicles on Seattle’s rainy streets
1
The company also plans on opening an office there

By Andrew J. Hawkins at andyjayhawk  Oct 18, 2021, 11:54am EDT

Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, said it will test its
vehicles on the hilly, rain-drenched streets of Seattle. The company also
plans on opening an office there in 2022.

Seattle will be the third city to host Zoox’s autonomous vehicles, after
San Francisco and Las Vegas. The company said it will deploy a small number
of vehicles to “get the lay of the land” before deciding how to expand its
operations there.

“We’re excited to be testing in Seattle. The data we’re gathering will be
invaluable for the continued development of our AI stack,” said Jesse
Levinson, CTO and co-founder of Zoox, in a statement.

Zoox will use Toyota Highlander SUVs retrofitted with sensors and computer
hardware to drive autonomously. The company is also building its own
vehicle, which looks like an oversized toaster on wheels, lacks typical
controls like a steering wheel and pedals, and is designed to be
bidirectional, meaning it can travel in either direction.

A spokesperson for the company wouldn’t disclose how many employees will be
based in Seattle, but she did say that Zoox has more than 1,300 employees
and a goal of creating more than 450 jobs in 2021.

Seattle is not a hot bed of autonomous vehicle testing, but it has seen its
fair share of robot cars. Waymo, a sister company to Google and subsidiary
of Alphabet, tested its vehicles in Kirkland, Washington, a suburban area
to the east of Seattle across Lake Washington. Like Zoox, Waymo cited the
city’s wet conditions as ideal for testing autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous vehicles have experienced difficulty “seeing” in inclement
weather such as rain or fog. The car’s sensors, like cameras and lidar, can
be blocked by snow, ice, or torrential downpours, and their ability to
“read” road signs and markings can be impaired.

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor, and it’s the exact same
principle for our technology,” said Kai Wang, director of prediction at
Zoox. “The challenges of the Seattle area will let us hone our software
stack and ultimately improve the behavior of our vehicles.”
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