Latest news with #Cruise
Gizmodo
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Gizmodo
Tesla and Google's Robotaxis Still Really Aren't That Autonomous
Tesla's impending robotaxi service comes with a whole list of caveats you'll need to agree to before you huddle into the backseat of its autonomous vehicles. Or, perhaps they're not really that autonomous. The first Tesla Model Y Cybercab services will be limited to select participants (including Tesla influencers), but even then drivers can expect to have a 'safety monitor' in the driver's seat. This may be a remote individual making sure the cars don't cause any vehicular snafus, but it also shows just how limited Tesla's initial rollout will be. As first noted by Electrek, there are a whole heap of other parameters Tesla's self-driving guinea pigs will need to endure. They're restricted to a geofenced area in Austin, Texas, that does not include airports. Drivers can only get a ride between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. The limited areas and times for operation are likely a result of limiting possible run-ins with other drivers and needing the monitor to be awake and aware enough to deal with the car's odd behaviors. A few years before its robotaxi arm went belly up, GM's Cruise caught flak for employing similar remote monitors who were there to help the cars navigate complicated conditions. Tesla has given me permission to share the parameters of use for their Model Y Robotaxi service, starting this Sunday June 22nd in Austin, Texas. The Early Access phase is invitation-only. Parameters of Use: • You must read through and agree to the attached Terms of Service,… — Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 20, 2025 Google's Waymo robotaxi service has been expanding rapidly across the country. In Austin, it employed drivers in Waymo cars for the first six months before letting the vehicles operate independently. New Yorkers who thought they were safe from the autonomous vehicle invasion can't be complacent anymore. Waymo declared this week it intends to bring a fleet of autonomous vehicles to NYC streets, though for full-scale operations it needs to upend the city's traffic laws and somehow figure out how to deal with New York's congested streets and downright hostile drivers. At first, all Waymo cars will have an actual flesh-and-blood human behind the wheel. That's because the NYC Department of Transportation has to issue a permit for any company looking to operate self-driving cars and sets limits for how they can operate within city limits. Current laws also bar a full-scale autonomous vehicle operation without a 'vehicle operator' present should the car go haywire, but that's where Google's lobbyists come in. Alphabet—the parent company of all the various Google brands like YouTube and Waymo—said it was 'advocating for changes to state law to allow us to bring our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the city one day.' The company won't be in New York 'full time,' but the obvious intent is to bring the same level of service currently derided in San Francisco to New York. The Bay Area hit Waymo with close to 600 traffic citations in 2024. The approximately 300 Waymo cars on San Francisco streets are known to occasionally block traffic and park in prohibited areas. While the self-driving ride-hailing company claims it has fixed issues where the cars would hit emergency service vehicles, the cars have become controversial in Angeltown for weird glitches, like several events where an entire parked fleet of Waymos blared their horns for hours into the night. After numerous recalls, Google's robotaxis are supposedly improving constantly, but the lingering question is whether they're getting better fast enough to merit their rapid expansion to cities all over the U.S. New York rules require companies to 'self-certify' their vehicles are safer than human drivers. If you've ever spent five minutes on the Belt Parkway in south Brooklyn and Queens, you'll understand that's not a high bar to reach. On the flip side, New York's streets are incredibly complicated to navigate. Since last October, it's no longer illegal to jaywalk in NYC, and you'll often see people threading through traffic at or nowhere near a crosswalk. New York City streets are constantly constrained with double-parked cars and construction. Autonomous vehicles do much better on streets without complicated intersections or roadwork. You'd be lucky to make it two blocks in New York without encountering either of those. Autonomous vehicles won't reduce traffic. These automated car services will only induce demand for more cars. Even if you have qualms about New York's congestion pricing, it's proved the only thing to reduce traffic congestion in one of the most constrained cities in the world. As noted by urban planning advocate group Strong Towns, the only two things that governments can adjust to reduce congestion are the amount it costs to drive and the time the trip takes. Transit advocates have close to a century of data that proves adding more lanes to roads—even those specific for autonomous cars—merely induces demand for more cars. Waymo's real objective is to put as many Waymos on city streets as possible. All that does is replace today's pugnacious NYC driver with an idiotic computer that may get confused by a single traffic cone. If New York opens its doors to one autonomous car maker, others like Tesla would be sure to follow.
Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Driverless disruption: Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories
As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon's robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, opened a new production facility in the Bay Area this week. The company has been testing its unique pill-shaped vehicles in California and Nevada since 2023. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk just started testing driverless Teslas with the hopes of launching a commercial service soon. Musk unveiled a prototype for Tesla's Cybercab late last year, touting his vision for an autonomous future and "an age of abundance." The arrival of self-driving tech could eventually affect society as much as the internet and smartphones did years ago, some experts predict. With Waymo leading the way and Tesla and Zoox trying to catch up quickly, a new status quo could be on the horizon, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with "Tesla has tried to catch up, and Zoox is a more recent competitor that's hoping to be a serious player," he said. "Waymo has been slow and steady and, as a result, is winning the race." According to some industry insiders, the U.S. is about 15 years from seeing widespread use of robotaxis, Brauer said. While Waymo taxis have become a common sight in the cities where they operate, weather conditions and charging infrastructure still limit their expansion. On Wednesday, Waymo expanded its service area in Los Angeles County, where its vehicles now roam an area of more than 120 square miles. The company also increased its service area in San Francisco, expanding access to suburbs and Silicon Valley. Days after Waymo's announcement, Zoox opened a 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, Calif., that the company says will be able to produce 10,000 robotaxis per year. Zoox is preparing to launch its public ride-hailing service in Las Vegas and San Francisco this year. Unlike Waymo vehicles, which are retrofitted Jaguars, Zoox is developing a purpose-built taxi with no steering wheel or gas pedals. Zoox also has a manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., where the company develops its test fleets of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders. Tesla has a manufacturing facility in Fremont as well. Musk has promised for years to deliver autonomous vehicles and a robust ride-hailing service. Lawmakers in Austin requested this week that he delay the rollout of his service in the city. Tesla, Zoox and Waymo are the three remaining major U.S. companies in what was once a more crowded field, Brauer said. General Motors' autonomous taxi company Cruise suspended operations in 2023 after one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Last year, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership that could put Cruise vehicles back on the road. A company called Argo AI, backed by Ford and Volkswagen, was also developing driverless technology until it shut down in 2022. The continued expansion of robotaxis depends on safe and successful testing, Brauer said. There have been several incidents related to Tesla's Full Self-Drive mode, a technology currently available but still in development. Waymo has issued recalls of some of its vehicles on multiple occasions. "If there's a tragic result for any of these three companies during the testing and development process, it would likely slow down the entire industry," Brauer said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
CairoScene
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Tom Cruise Stunts, But Make Them Middle Eastern
Could the Middle East be Cruise's next obstacle course? Here's how it can be done. The 'Mission: Impossible' franchise has taken us everywhere—from cliff faces in Norway to the roof of the Vienna Opera House. Tom Cruise has scaled, sprinted, skydived, and motorcycle-jumped his way across the globe, turning iconic landmarks into action set pieces of legend. And so, despite the Burj Khalifa's thrilling cameo, we still can't help but make the case: the Middle East deserves a much bigger slice of that Hollywood adrenaline. This region is brimming with landscapes made for slow-motion leaps, last-minute parachutes, and dramatic escape sequences. From sun-scorched deserts to clifftop fortresses and labyrinthine old cities, every corner is basically begging for an Ethan Hunt stunt double. So we imagined it—a fantasy reel of Cruise-level chaos, set against some of the Middle East's most dazzling, death-defying, and real travel spots. Broken Balloon Descent Over Luxor Forget a graceful glide. Imagine Cruise crash-landing in a deflating hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings, parkouring midair between floating baskets. Your sunrise balloon ride might be more serene—but it'll still be worth every second. Free-Climbing a Cliff in Wadi Rum No ropes. No fear. Just Tom scaling Wadi Rum's sandstone cliffs with only grit and fingertip strength. Bonus points if there's a drone chase mid-climb. You can also hike the same route—but probably with more focus on the horizontal than the vertical. A Feline Blockade in the Streets of Marrakesh Cornered in the medina, Cruise signals to Marrakesh's legendary street cats—who swarm in, tails twitching, forming the ultimate soft-pawed blockade. A Slip 'n Slide Inside the Great Pyramid Taking a tumble inside the Great Pyramid might be everyone's worst nightmare. But Cruise? He turns it into a thrill slide—gliding through dusty shafts, dodging booby traps, and outrunning ancient curses. (We still recommend sticking to guided tours.) Fleeing on an Arabian Stallion in Essaouira Cue the thunder of hooves where Atlantic waves crash into golden sands. Cruise gallops across the beach on a majestic Arabian stallion, pursued by motorbikes, camels—or both. A Speedboat Chase in the Suez Canal Massive container ships. Narrow lanes. Zero margin for error. Cruise zigzags through the world's most high-stakes waterway in a speedboat ballet. James Bond who? Sandboarding on Scrap Wood in Oman Endless dunes. Blistering heat. Cruise carves down Wahiba Sands like it's a black diamond run—on what looks suspiciously like a splintered crate. Definitely go, but also definitely stick to an actual sandboard
Los Angeles Times
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
Driverless disruption: Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories
As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon's robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, opened a new production facility in the Bay Area this week. The company has been testing its unique pill-shaped vehicles in California and Nevada since 2023. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk just started testing driverless Teslas with the hopes of launching a commercial service soon. Musk unveiled a prototype for Tesla's Cybercab late last year, touting his vision for an autonomous future and 'an age of abundance.' The arrival of self-driving tech could eventually affect society as much as the internet and smartphones did years ago, some experts predict. With Waymo leading the way and Tesla and Zoox trying to catch up quickly, a new status quo could be on the horizon, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with 'Tesla has tried to catch up, and Zoox is a more recent competitor that's hoping to be a serious player,' he said. 'Waymo has been slow and steady and, as a result, is winning the race.' According to some industry insiders, the U.S. is about 15 years from seeing widespread use of robotaxis, Brauer said. While Waymo taxis have become a common sight in the cities where they operate, weather conditions and charging infrastructure still limit their expansion. On Wednesday, Waymo expanded its service area in Los Angeles County, where its vehicles now roam an area of more than 120 square miles. The company also increased its service area in San Francisco, expanding access to suburbs and Silicon Valley. Days after Waymo's announcement, Zoox opened a 220,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, Calif., that the company says will be able to produce 10,000 robotaxis per year. Zoox is preparing to launch its public ride-hailing service in Las Vegas and San Francisco this year. Unlike Waymo vehicles, which are retrofitted Jaguars, Zoox is developing a purpose-built taxi with no steering wheel or gas pedals. Zoox also has a manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., where the company develops its test fleets of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders. Tesla has a manufacturing facility in Fremont as well. Musk has promised for years to deliver autonomous vehicles and a robust ride-hailing service. Lawmakers in Austin requested this week that he delay the rollout of his service in the city. Tesla, Zoox and Waymo are the three remaining major U.S. companies in what was once a more crowded field, Brauer said. General Motors' autonomous taxi company Cruise suspended operations in 2023 after one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Last year, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership that could put Cruise vehicles back on the road. A company called Argo AI, backed by Ford and Volkswagen, was also developing driverless technology until it shut down in 2022. The continued expansion of robotaxis depends on safe and successful testing, Brauer said. There have been several incidents related to Tesla's Full Self-Drive mode, a technology currently available but still in development. Waymo has issued recalls of some of its vehicles on multiple occasions. 'If there's a tragic result for any of these three companies during the testing and development process, it would likely slow down the entire industry,' Brauer said.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen, Wynn Thomas, and Dolly Parton to get Honorary Oscars
The Honorary Award specifically acknowledges "extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or outstanding service to the Academy." Cruise, a staunch advocate for theatrical exhibition, played a pivotal role in keeping theatres alive post the COVID-19 shutdown with Top Gun: Maverick. The film earned him a Best Picture nomination as a producer. Known for performing his own daring stunts, Cruise has garnered three acting Oscar nominations for his roles in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. For nearly five decades, Debbie Allen has left an indelible mark on the screen and the stage as an actor, choreographer, and producer. Her choreography graced the Oscars ceremony seven times, plus she contributed her talents to films including Forget Paris, The Six Triple Eight, and A Jazzman's Blues. Allen's producing credits feature A Star for Rose and Amistad, while her notable acting performances include Fame, Your Life Is Calling, Ragtime, and Jo Jo Dancer.
