Tesla is expected to launch its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, as early as Sunday, starting with about 10 Model Y SUVs operating under tight restrictions. CEO Elon Musk said the company is being “super paranoid” about safety, with humans remotely monitoring the fleet.
Remote access and control—known as teleoperation—is used to varying degrees by robotaxi startups worldwide. It offers benefits but also comes with limitations.
What is teleoperation?
Teleoperation is the control of machines by humans in a different location, usually via wireless networks. It helps train robots, monitor activity, and take over when needed.
How do robotaxi operators use teleoperation?
Robotaxi operations remain limited as companies adjust AI software and vehicle deployment. Teleoperation steps in when vehicles face uncertainty.
Alphabet’s Waymo uses “fleet response” agents who guide vehicles in tricky scenarios.
“Much like phone-a-friend, when the Waymo vehicle encounters a particular situation on the road, the autonomous driver can reach out to a human fleet response agent for additional information,” Waymo said in a blog post.
Former Waymo CEO John Krafcik told Reuters, “The cars aren’t being actively monitored,” adding the software is “the ultimate decision-maker.”
A Waymo video showed a car asking a remote agent about a street blocked by emergency vehicles. When the agent approved, the vehicle moved forward.
Baidu’s Apollo Go, in contrast, has used fully remote backup drivers who can take full control. Baidu declined to comment.
What are the limitations?
Driving vehicles remotely depends on stable cellular connections, which can fail or lag—posing safety risks.
Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert, said teleoperation “could work for a small test deployment of 10 vehicles,” but called it “inherently unreliable technology.”
“Eventually you will lose connection at exactly the worst time,” he said. “If they’ve done their homework, this won’t ever happen for 10 cars. With a million cars, it’s going to happen every day.”
Krafcik agreed, saying the delay in cell signals makes remote driving “very risky.”
Koopman also warned about relying on the vehicle to seek help: it “does not guarantee the vehicle will make the right decision.” He noted the challenge of one person safely monitoring multiple vehicles.
A group of Democratic Texas lawmakers asked Tesla to delay the launch until September, when a new autonomous-driving law takes effect. They said delaying “is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust.”
What is tesla's approach?
Musk has long promised Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software would evolve into a truly autonomous robotaxi system. This year, he said a paid robotaxi service using “unsupervised” software would launch in Austin.
“Teslas will be in the wild, with no one in them, in June, in Austin,” Musk told analysts. In May, he told CNBC the service would operate only in safer areas, avoiding difficult intersections and using human monitors.
Tesla hasn’t revealed exactly what teleoperators will do. A source said they could take over if a vehicle is stuck or confused. Tesla previously advertised jobs involving remote access to vehicles and robots, saying such staff would “remotely perform complex and intricate tasks.”
Tesla declined to comment.
“We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” Musk posted on X, referring to a tentative June 22 launch.
Source: Reuters
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