The car did not register the thick smoke as it drove into a fire scene.
Amazon-owned Zoox recalled 105 robotaxis after one vehicle drove into an active fire scene its Las Vegas, "apparently unable to detect heavy smoke," reports Mick Akers in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
"The Zoox vehicle conducted a hard brake while trying to steer clear of the fire scene, before coming to a stop, the safety administration report stated. A Zoox employee had to guide the vehicle out of the fire area, and first responders then placed traffic cones, blocking two of the three travel lanes." Zoox investigated the root cause of the incident and says it developed a software update to improve the cars' smoke detection mechanisms.
Zoox has been offering free rides in Las Vegas' resort corridor since September. According to Akers, "Zoox is awaiting a decision from the NHTSA that would allow the autonomous vehicle company to begin offering paid rides to customers. The NHTSA decision is needed as the unique, bi-directional vehicles don’t feature standard vehicle features such as brake or gas pedals or steering wheels."
Read the full story: Zoox issues robotaxi recall after one drives into active fire scene
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