PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014A massive storm rolled through metro Phoenix on Friday, causing widespread flooding, and self-driving Waymos were spotted in rising floodwaters or pulled over along the side of the road.<\/p>\n
Leah Sarat was a passenger in one of those self-driving SUVs during the rainstorm.<\/p>\n
She had called for a rideshare service to take her from Tempe to her house in central Phoenix, but she didn\u2019t make it, and the Phoenix mom noticed the vehicle doing some strange things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt stopped, I want to say three different times, pulled over once when there didn\u2019t seem to be a reason to pull over,\u201d said Sarat. \u201cOnce it took me to a side street of a residential neighborhood and just stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe third time it actually made a turn and was turning into oncoming traffic and stopped there,\u201d said Sarat.<\/p>\n
Sarat said she waited until it was safe, got out of the Waymo, then called an Uber to take her home. Other passengers from that day have similar stories, who tell Arizona\u2019s Family that their Waymo seemed to be confused by the rising water on city streets.<\/p>\n
ASU professor and AI tech expert Andrew Maynard said the Waymo vehicles are programmed to respond to any hazards on the road. Still, it appears they did not know what to do when confronted with flooded streets, so they just stopped to avoid any potential problems.<\/p>\n
Maynard said part of the problem is that it\u2019s incredibly tough to train a machine to know what to do with water.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir cameras and light systems and detectors see it, but all they see is a sheet of something they don\u2019t know whether it\u2019s the road, whether it\u2019s a sheen on the surface, or three feet deep of water. and of course that is confusing to them, it\u2019s confusing to human drivers as well,\u201d said Maynard.<\/p>\n
Waymo temporarily suspended its rideshare service, then restored it by Sunday morning. Company officials stated that no one was injured during the shutdown, and they consistently prioritize safety for all their passengers.<\/p>\n
Maynard believes AI technology will enable Waymos to learn from their experiences, making them less likely to be stranded during the next big storm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Waymos are pretty good drivers but they are still learning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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