Instead of turning a traditional car into an autonomous one,Movies the Amazon-owned self-driving car service Zoox has created its own type of autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel or front seat. Redesigning a car from the ground up also means redesigning car safety features.
On Tuesday, the San Francisco-based company released its first (voluntary) safety report since revealing its electric robotaxi in December. The report highlights what the company considers more than 100 safety features not found in regular (human-driven, conventional) vehicles.
Dr. Mark Rosekind, Zoox's chief safety innovation officer who has a Ph.D in psychology, broke down the key features into three categories in a recent call: driving control, redundancy (or back up in case of failure), and rider protection. Zoox is focused on preventing crashes and incidents, but it's also preparing for when things do go wrong once its ride-hailing service is on the road. (The vehicles have not started picking up riders and are still in testing.)
"We make a big deal in the report in our belief that we want this industry to become (about) proactive safety," Rosekind said.
Most noticeably there's no front or back of the Zoox vehicle. Instead the bidirectional box has double the drive trains, steering controls, electric motors, and batteries, much like in aviation where back-up systems are always available.
Because there's no front or back side, the vehicle never has to make a U-turn or other more dangerous maneuvers. It can pull in and out of parking spots, and switches its lighting based on direction of travel.
Another advantage of notbeing another minivan converted into an autonomous taxi? There aren't certain seats, say the front or middle back seat, with more hazards or risks, like a dashboard to hit your head. Sit anywhere in the box-like cabin and that seat has the same protections as the others. As Rosekind said, "We designed the vehicle so it's the same level of safety protection in any seat."
The airbags, in a horseshoe formation around passengers, are also "smarter" with sensors that detect direction and velocity in a crash. So they won't set off every airbag; in certain instances only protection from necessary parts of the car will deploy.
A new airbag system. Credit: zoox If you don't put on your seatbelt in a conventional car, it will likely beep incessantly, but you can still drive. Not in a Zoox. Sensors on the seat, buckle, and even strap know if you're properly belted and won't let the vehicle operate until you're safely seated.
Strap in. Credit: zoox Rosekind, a former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator, hopes these new safety designs make it beyond autonomous vehicles. "This new arena of autonomous mobility brings new safety innovations that could be incorporated into other vehicles on the road," he said.
SEE ALSO: Zoox reveals autonomous ride-sharing boxcar with no steering wheelMaybe one day your minivan will also have true seatbelt detection.
Who’s Afraid of the “Petextrian”?
Apple Arcade is now a bit cheaper — if you pay for a full year
Grounded teen gets stuck in her room and records her thrilling escape
Nifty machines use rocks to play perfect cover of 'Here Comes the Sun'
Malls and movies and drones, oh my.
Ryan Reynolds explains that shocking Spice Girls moment in '6 Underground'
Gifts to make a 'dumb' car as smart as a Tesla
'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker' world premiere blasts off: Photos
Moving Targets
Ryan Reynolds explains that shocking Spice Girls moment in '6 Underground'
Trump’s Family Leave Shell Game
'Frozen 2' is now Disney's sixth billion dollar movie of 2019
This burnt Christmas tree is a stark symbol of Australia's devastating bushfires
TikTok got an 'F' in our data accessibility rankings. Facebook got an 'A.'
America Shoots Itself
Apple aims for better iPhone photos using AI and infrared
Apple iPad Pro Smart Folio is the best damn keyboard on the go
The NBA's new streaming service is a step in the right direction
Trumpspeak
Jack Dorsey just unfollowed Mark Zuckerberg on Twitter
Even the Losers by Dan PiepenbringThe Comic Voice: An Interview with Christina NicholHappy Birthday, Anne Fadiman!How Best to Celebrate Dorothy Parker’s BirthdayThe Morning News Roundup for August 1, 2014“Why Read?”This Week’s Staff Picks: Moo, Maine, MalfeasanceRepent at LeisureIncident / ResurrectionThe Morning News Roundup for August 19, 2014James Berry, Celebrity ExecutionerIf You See SomethingYou Belong to the CityWhere Are They Now? Part OneThe Morning News Roundup for August 4, 2014Dead Authors’ HomesRead Everywhere with The Paris Review and LRBShe Jazzes That Dazzling VerseIncident / Resurrection“‘Betty’ Bacall Was the Perfect Mate for Bogey” Win Tickets to BAM’s Artist Talk! by Sadie Stein On the Shelf by Sadie Stein Taylor’s Multitudes by Liz Brown Apologizing; Glitz and Glamour by Lorin Stein Staff Picks: ‘Proud Beggars,’ A Brilliant Invalid by The Paris Review The Smartest Gifts of the Season by The Paris Review Frank O’Hara’s “To the Harbormaster” by Olivia Cole Gary Lutz on ‘Divorcer’ by Andrew Martin Staff Picks: 'Rules of Civility,’ Scott’s Photographs by The Paris Review Staff Picks: ‘Desire,’ Tim Tebow by The Paris Review From the Cloakroom, at the Booker by Jonathan Gharraie The Disaster Year by C.I. Shelton Staff Picks: Ghost Stories, Black Books by The Paris Review On Homesickness by Francesca Mari Umberto Eco on ‘The Prague Cemetery’ by Andrew Martin Breaking Bad by James Franco Screen Shots by Liz Brown Reading in Bed with James Franco by The Paris Review Work Frustrations; Social Climbing by Lorin Stein Staff Picks: “Hadji Murat,” A Version of the Afterlife by The Paris Review