The Controversial Intersection of Autonomous Vehicles and Wildlife in Austin
The death of a duck in the Mueller Lake panhandle of Austin, Texas, has neighbors worried about autonomous vehicles and whether they belong there.
Incident Overview
While humans are responsible for constantly killing animals with their cars, this incident has brought negative attention to the new technology. Local media picked up on the duck incident after a resident posted in a Facebook group in the Mueller neighborhood that an Avride autonomous vehicle (with a human safety operator behind the wheel) had run over and killed a duck, and did not stop afterward. “He didn’t slow down or hesitate at all, he just drove at full speed,” read the message reported by KXAN.
Community Response
Residents’ familiarity with this particular duck, which nested in a potty located outside a local Italian restaurant, added to the outrage and distrust of autonomous vehicle technology. For those worried about the future of duck eggs, local residents are putting them in an incubator, Axios’ Austin reports.
Avride’s Reaction and Adjustments
An Avride spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the vehicle was then in autonomous mode. Avride has not completely stopped testing on public roads. However, the company adjusted its area of activity by excluding certain streets around the lake in the neighborhood where the incident with the duck occurred, according to spokesperson Yulia Chveïko.
The resident also claimed in his post that the vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign. Avride told TechCrunch that it found no evidence to support this claim. The vehicle came to a complete and proper stop at all applicable stop signs.
Future Improvements and Industry Context
Shveyko said the team examined the data and the vehicle’s behavior, including replaying the scene several times in simulation. Avride is currently evaluating potential improvements in the technology to avoid similar situations in the future, she said. This includes carrying out a series of controlled simulation experiments to ensure that any changes do not negatively impact the vehicle’s safety performance in other scenarios.
Avride is not the only company testing or commercially deploying autonomous vehicles in the city. Zoox carried out tests in the city. Tesla and Waymo, in partnership with Uber, also operate a commercial robotaxi service in parts of Austin.
For further details, you can read the full report Here.
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