Uber test driver was watching Hulu during fatal crash
The safety driver in a self-driving Uber was not being very safe — aka, not paying attention — when the vehicle in autonomous mode struck and killed a woman in an Arizona city earlier this year, police records show.
Included in a massive Tempe Police Department report this week were details about the March 18 fatal crash. The 318-page report found that Rafaela Vasquez, the 44-year-old driver, was frequently looking down and even smiling and laughing at what appears to be a cellphone streaming an episode of the talent search show, The Voice.
SEE ALSO:People are losing faith in self-driving cars following recent fatal crashesIn the moments before the test vehicle hit 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, who was walking her bicycle across a Tempe, Arizona, road, the test driver, Vasquez, was apparently streaming the TV show through Hulu. A video of the moments before the crash shows Vasquez looking toward her right knee while occasionally looking up and around.
Police seized Vasquez's two LG cellphones and found that YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu had been used on them. After search warrants were served, Hulu confirmed that the phone and account linked to Vasquez was streaming an episode of the show up until the time of the crash.
Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report noted that the test driver said she'd been looking at the self-driving system interface before the crash. The NTSB also found that the vehicle didn't alert the driver about the pedestrian, even after sensors detected Herzberg six seconds before impact. The car didn't automatically brake or slow down after detecting the pedestrian. Vasquez manually hit the brakes after hitting the woman.
With this week's release of police data, Uber responded with a statement about its own internal review and strict rules about phone usage during testing. The Uber self-driving program was suspended after the fatality and the Arizona program shut down. Autonomous testing is expected to resume in other cities in the coming months.
SEE ALSO:Don't believe the naysayers: Self-driving cars are already here in many ways“We continue to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations while conducting our own internal safety review. We have a strict policy prohibiting mobile device usage for anyone operating our self-driving vehicles. We plan to share more on the changes we’ll make to our program soon,” an Uber spokesperson said in an email.
Other information, including post-crash photos of the damaged Uber and the red bicycle Herzberg was walking, were included in the report, along with audio clips of 911 calls from Vasquez and bystanders, and police officer video footage once emergency crews arrived at the crash site.
A photo from the police report show's the self-driving Uber's front-end damage after the fatal crash.Credit: tempe police departmentWe've seen this before — drivers using semi-autonomous or nearly autonomous features in cars start looking away from the road, going on their phones, and watching much more entertaining things like TV shows and movies.
A fatal Tesla crash in Florida may have involved the driver watching a Harry Pottermovie on a portable DVD player while the car's Autopilot mode was engaged. It's the same situation: the driver thinks the car's got this because they've repeatedly seen the car handle the road without them. In the Uber crash, the car was in autonomous mode for 19 minutes before hitting the pedestrian.
Experts and researchers know that humans get bored and lose focus once machines start taking over most of the work.
Cody Fleming, assistant professor of systems engineering at the University of Virginia, told me in a conversation about autonomous vehicle levels — Level 0 means no vehicle automation with the driver fully in control; Level 5 is the highest, with the car able to drive itself in any situation and condition — that humans don't do well with boredom. That's precisely what happens when the autonomous vehicle takes over the main parts of driving.
SEE ALSO:Whatever happened to Starman? SpaceX says he's gone beyond Mars.Suddenly you have to "come online" in a critical situation — instantaneously. "Imagine that the first thing when you wake up in the morning is you have to make a safety critical decision," Fleming offered as a comparison.
The handoff between robot and human responsibility isn't ever as smooth as it theoretically could be. That's because humans aren't robots. It's very difficult to go from barely-aware-of-the-cars-around-you to alert and focused, making split-second decisions to brake or slow down. That's why Waymo, Google's self-driving car company, has sped ahead. They've left behind those murky, semi-autonomous levels with a driver at the ready (while the car performs basic functions on its own) and moved to fully driverless cars.
Waymo is leap-frogging the stages where human intervention is needed at the drop of a hat. It just doesn't work well enough. Either the human needs to be in charge — or the robot.
Featured Video For You
Inside the technology that helps self-driving cars "see"
TopicsHuluSelf-Driving CarsUber
-
3D Game Rendering 101US supports provision of COVIDTwitter roasts Trump aide for calling lies 'alternative facts'Yes, Trump watched the Women's Marches, and yes, he tweeted about itThe Weird, Wonderful World of Water TowersNewborn baby becomes ideal wingman in father's surprise proposal'North Korea hacked into South Korean nuclear energy institute'Two Koreas reopen cross评论丨农事运动会:一场农民的盛会、新农人风采展现的盛会、城乡双向奔赴的盛会Genius mom has the best way of sneaking out of her kid's nursery
下一篇:Yoon touts pension reform drive amid stagnant popularity rating
- ·When will Trump and Harris debate? The presidential campaigns snipe over ABC News’ rules.
- ·Twitter roasts Trump aide for calling lies 'alternative facts'
- ·Why it took more than 50 years for the U.S. and Cuba to renew ties.
- ·[News Brief] Man sent to prosecutors for attacking Japanese woman in Seoul
- ·Flying spaghetti monster and unworldly life filmed in deep sea footage
- ·FM to visit US military base this week
- ·Seoul faces dilemma in upcoming joint military drill
- ·Political feud over Cho Kuk issue expected to escalate after Chuseok
- ·Best Labor Day mattress deals in 2024
- ·从化、增城、澄海、平远、连州入选全国生态文明建设示范区!
- ·Fire sale: Amazon updates tablets and lowers prices
- ·Sanders wins big in Alaska, Washington, and Hawaii.
- ·23 Peculiar Places of 2023
- ·Newborn baby becomes ideal wingman in father's surprise proposal
- ·European nations fine Facebook over being cagey with users' data
- ·Google Assistant can now control GE's smart appliances
- ·Doosan scraps controversial Robotics
- ·European nations fine Facebook over being cagey with users' data
- ·Google Assistant can now control GE's smart appliances
- ·James Blunt announces new album in the most James Blunt way possible
- ·What to expect when a tech bubble bursts
- ·Trump's POTUS Twitter account had an image from Obama's inauguration in 2009
- ·Hillary Clinton’s AIPAC speech was a symphony of craven, delusional pandering.
- ·James Blunt announces new album in the most James Blunt way possible
- ·Why Kamala Harris triggers Donald Trump so intensely.
- ·North Korea's food shortage to worsen in next 4 months: UN report
- ·Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Apple Watch Ultra: The Fenix wins big on battery life
- ·US Forces Korea extends curfew suspension for 3 months
- ·North Korean leader vows to overcome difficulties
- ·“雅安看点”:送福利 新华文轩代金券:送送送
- ·Amazon Android Days sale 2024: Save on unlocked phones, tablets, and more
- ·This week in apps: Instagram face filters, Medium audio stories, Google Assistant on iOS and more
- ·S. Koreans still unable to fully use leisure time despite 52
- ·iTunes is coming to the Windows Store
- ·高温难耐,工会驿站化身“清凉小屋”
- ·Tesla teams with Vermont utility company for Powerwall energy grid