Waymo Robotaxi Honking Issue Resolves

The nightly Waymo honk-a-thon with robotaxi screeching in a San Francisco parking lot was resolved, then not, but is now once more resolved

The context: Around 4 a.m., software engineer Sophia Tung established a livestream of the parking lot, which captured the robotaxis pouring in to park and honk for up to an hour.

Last week, Waymo released a software upgrade to prevent the robotaxis from honking at each other, which is an issue when they are frequently nearby. However, the livestream captured additional wailing at 4 a.m. on Saturday.

Another patch has been released, as indicated in an interview conducted on Monday between Tung and Vishay Nihalani, Waymo’s Director of Product and Operations, during her webcast. Nihalani clarified that the group’s honking was an unintended consequence, even though it is entirely logical for Waymos to whistle on public roads.