It's not just the autonomous vehicle technology, but also the company that operated the self-driving SUV receiving scrutiny after the death of Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Az. on March 18.
The details of the death of 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, who was walking her bike across North Mill Ave when she was struck by an Uber SUV operating in autonomous mode with a backup driver, are under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Initially, the Tempe police chief, after viewing the videos, suggested the crash may have been unavoidable, be it from human or self-driving vehicle. After the two videos were made available to the public, scrutiny was directed at autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, with some experts claiming that fully autonomous vehicles were not ready to be operated on public streets. A pedestrian fatality was "inevitable," and the public was being treated like "guinea pigs," some charged.
Now Carolyn Said, who writes on autonomous vehicles for the San Francisco Chronicle, and other journalists have turned their attention to the company, not only its AV technology but also the "company’s procedures and corporate culture," distinguishing Uber from other developers of autonomous vehicles.
"Uber’s haste has already cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in research spending and legal fees and settlements, writes Said on March 23. "Now some ask if it has cost a human life."
“Uber has major explaining to do” about how its system failed so catastrophically, said Michael Ramsey, research director at analysis firm Gartner. Neither Uber’s technology nor its backup driver seemed ready for the open road, experts said.
Herzberg's presence should have been captured by the Volvo's lidar, a laser form of radar, and other sensory equipment.
“This was one of the simplest possible scenarios an autonomous vehicle could be in,” said Sam Abuelsamid, senior analyst at Navigant Research in Detroit. “There was no other traffic, no obstructions, no bad weather and the woman was in the middle of the roadway. There were no extenuating circumstances. She should have been very clearly visible to the sensors on this vehicle.”
In other words, it was exactly the kind of situation in which autonomous cars with their sensors are supposed to outperform humans.
"Marta Thoma Hall, president of Velodyne LiDAR Inc., maker of the special laser radar that helps an autonomous car 'see' its surroundings, said the company doesn’t believe its technology failed," reports Ken Naughton for Bloomberg News [may require free registration].
“We are as baffled as anyone else,” Thoma Hall wrote in an email. “Certainly, our Lidar is capable of clearly imaging Elaine and her bicycle in this situation. However, our Lidar doesn’t make the decision to put on the brakes or get out of her way.”
Said of the Chronicle explains:
There are several ways the [automated driving] system could have gone wrong — but all reflect poorly on Uber. The sensing systems (lidar, radar and cameras) could have failed to detect Herzberg. The classification systems could have thought she was an inanimate object (although the question remains: Why not stop?). The actuation system that controls braking and steering could have not received a message to slow or swerve.
Said delves further into the technology, and also the inattentiveness of Rafaela Vasquez, the 44-year-old backup driver behind the wheel, who was shown in the inward-facing dashcam video looking downwards the entire time before the crash. It has even been speculated that an attentive driver would have seen Ms. Herzberg and evaded the crash, according to forensic crash analysts who reviewed the video.
Uber's self-driving division was struggling even before the Tempe pedestrian crash, according to Daisuke Wakabayashi ofThe New York Times. "Uber’s human drivers had to intervene far more frequently than the drivers of competing autonomous car projects," he writes on March 23.
Waymo, formerly the self-driving car project of Google, said that in tests on roads in California last year, its cars went an average of nearly 5,600 miles before the driver had to take control from the computer to steer out of trouble. As of March, Uber was struggling to meet its target of 13 miles per “intervention” in Arizona [according to documents obtained by The New York Times.]
Unlike California, which requires self-driving car companies to report intervention numbers, "Arizona does not have reporting requirements," writes Wakabayashi, calling it a "regulatory vacuum."
That might be starting to change though, due to Herzberg's death. Gov. Doug Ducey (R) of Arizona ordered a suspension of Uber's autonomous vehicle testing effective March 26, reports Wakabayashi, calling it "a reversal from what has been an open-arms policy by the state, heralding its lack of regulation as an asset to lure autonomous vehicle testing — and tech jobs."
Uber had already suspended self-driving testing in Arizona, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Toronto following Ms. Herzberg's death.
FULL STORY: Was Uber fatality a result of rush to self-driving market?
Failure of Automated Driving Technology Blamed for First Pedestrian Fatality
Experts who watched the videos taken by onboard cameras equipped in the Volvo SUV that hit Elaine Herzberg determined that Uber's automated driving system failed to perform adequately. The crash points to a need for regulations.
Did Uber Just Get Away With Manslaughter?
Remember Elaine Herzberg, the 49-year-old woman who became the first pedestrian fatality due to an autonomous vehicle when she was hit last March by an Uber with a safety driver in Tempe, Ariz.? Prosecutors found no criminal liability.
The Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicle Testing
Autonomous vehicles hold the potential to greatly reduce auto crashes. Advocates want them on the road as early as possible to reduce fatalities. Skeptics worry that the public will be guinea pigs during the testing—case in point: Elaine Herzberg.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.
Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.
Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie