Why it matters: A collision between a Waymo autonomous vehicle and a Serve Robotics delivery robot highlights growing challenges as multiple types of autonomous vehicles share city streets. Techcrunch reports that the incident occurred December 27 at a Los Angeles intersection, marking one of the first documented crashes between two different autonomous systems.
The Big Picture: The collision occurred when:
- Serve robot attempted to cross street and mount sidewalk
- Waymo vehicle was making right turn
- Waymo system detected robot as “inanimate object”
- Vehicle braked but still made contact at 4 mph
Technical Response: Both companies’ systems showed different reactions:
- Waymo Driver initiated hard braking sequence
- Serve robot was under remote supervision
- Neither vehicle sustained damage
- Both continued operations after brief pause
Looking Forward: As autonomous vehicles become more common on city streets, along with the top cars, interactions between different systems present new challenges for regulators and developers. This first-of-its-kind incident between a Serve bot and Waymo robotaxi raises questions about how autonomous systems from different companies will coordinate to prevent future collisions.
