Uber wants to resume self-driving tests in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc. has asked Pennsylvania for permission to resume self-driving tests on public roads and upgraded the software for this autonomous vehicle, the company said Friday. seven months after the suspension of tests following a fatal accident in Arizona.

The company revealed in a report to US National Highway Traffic Safety that it would resume testing with two employees instead before, allow an automatic braking system at all times, and more strictly control security guards.

Uber tested autonomous cars in manual mode on public streets.

In June, police in Tempe, Arizona, said that a reserve driver driving a motorist Uber was distracted and was broadcasting a television show on his phone until the car was hit and killed a pedestrian walking down a street, judging the crash that shook the fledgling industry "completely avoidable".

The crash is the first self-driving death and has been seen as a major setback for the industry, which is fighting for vehicles to be used for commercial purposes.

Uber chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, said in a statement Friday that the company would only resume road tests after setting up "improved processes".

Uber said it now has third-party real-time monitoring of auxiliary safety operators, imposed limits on the daily working hours of drivers, and improved training.

In July, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced the release of new guidelines requiring companies to provide detailed test information and anticipating that companies will comply with these requirements.

A spokeswoman for the agency said Friday that she had received the request and that she would look into it.

The state said it would send a letter of authorization to companies after approving their submissions. Uber said he would not resume testing in Pittsburgh until he received this letter.

Waymo of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) the unit plans to launch a commercial portage service in Arizona this year, while General Motors Co (GM.N) is on track to roll out a similar service next year with vehicles without a steering wheel or brake pedal.

The Pittsburgh authorities, where Uber inaugurated its autonomous vehicles in 2016, have announced their return to the streets of the city.

"I think we have gained confidence," said Karina Ricks, director of the city 's Mobility and Infrastructure Department, citing the addition of a second employee in the cars to the city. test and greater transparency of Uber.

As a result of the Tempe accident, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto hesitated to let Uber resume self-driving before a full federal investigation into the accident.

"One of the problems with Uber was that they seemed to move a little too fast," Ricks said. "They have a little arrogant about their technology."

The incident raised important questions about the performance of the Uber software.

Uber said that a key recommendation of an internal review after the Tempe accident was to improve the "overall design of the autonomous vehicle software system". Uber said in its safety report released Friday that the vehicle had improved the "system latency", allowing it to detect objects and actors earlier and execute safe reactions faster.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which opened an investigation, said in May that Uber had recorded pedestrian sightings about six seconds before the impact, but that the system did emergency braking was necessary before 1.3 seconds before the impact.

The NTSB stated that the vehicle recorded the pedestrian crossing the road as an unknown object, then by vehicle and finally by bicycle.

GRAPHIC-How autonomous cars see the road – tmsnrt.rs/2FToUeq

Uber said it took a new approach to "managing uncertainty in the autonomous driving system." Uber also has a new, separate systems engineering test team and plans to create a safety advisory committee on autonomous driving composed of external experts. If a vehicle is unsure of something in his opinion, the software is now better placed to "reason on many possible outcomes in order to finally reach a sure answer," he added.

The NTSB also said that Uber had disabled an automatic emergency brake system installed by the manufacturer on the 2017 Volvo XC90 while the car was under computer control, in order to "reduce the risk of erratic behavior of the car. vehicle".

This braking system is now active every time Uber performs tests on public roads, announced Friday. She also filed a voluntary safety assessment with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about her self-driving efforts and released a report from an outside law firm that examined the culture. security at Uber. The agency has an ongoing investigation into the Tempe accident.