Uber’s self-driving cars resume trials in Pittsburgh in manual mode

Uber’s self-driving cars are being manually driven on public roads in Pittsburgh after a fatal crash which prompted the company to pull out of its testing programme in North America. The company is trialling new safeguards which it says will improve vehicle fleet safety and performance. According to a report by Medium, Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber Advanced Technologies, says: “While we are eager to resume testing of our self-driving system, we see manual driving as an important first step in piloting thes
July 27, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
8336 Uber’s self-driving cars are being manually driven on public roads in Pittsburgh after a %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 35413 0 link-external fatal crash false /categories/utc/news/uber-ends-self-driving-programme-in-arizona/ false false%> which prompted the company to pull out of its testing programme in North America. The company is trialling new safeguards which it says will improve vehicle fleet safety and performance.


According to a report by %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Medium false https://medium.com/@UberATG/self-driving-cars-return-to-pittsburgh-roads-in-manual-mode-f83e506a04b9 false false%>, Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber Advanced Technologies, says: “While we are eager to resume testing of our self-driving system, we see manual driving as an important first step in piloting these safeguards.”

An Uber mission specialist will be behind the wheel to help maintain the vehicle’s safely while another specialist will be in the passenger seat to document notable events. They will carry out tasks involving data collection and keeping the vehicle’s HD map up to date.

Meyhofer says all mission specialists have completed new training modules for safe manual driving which include dedicated time in defensive and distracted driving courses as well as improved test track situational awareness drills.

All self-driving vehicles will feature a driver-monitoring system to help mission specialists remain focused while driving. The system sends an audio alert to the driver if it detects inattentive behaviour.

Additionally, built-in collision avoidance systems will activate emergency braking if there is a sudden change in traffic ahead of the vehicle. It will also send imminent collision warnings to the driver and passenger.

The self-driving cars also come with a front tablet, where turn-by-turn navigation and vehicle information is displayed.

Uber Advanced Technologies consists of an engineering team who are dedicated to self-driving technologies, mapping and vehicle safety.

Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ATRI seeks input on truck platooning
    November 25, 2014
    Working in collaboration with two FHWA-sponsored project teams, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is conducting research to explore trucking industry perspectives on the use of automated truck platooning, also known as Driver Assistive Truck Platooning. This concept is based on a system that controls inter-vehicle spacing based on information from forward-looking radars and direct vehicle-to-vehicle communications. Braking and other operational data is constantly exchanged between th
    Read More
  • Sompo to launch system to assist virtual testing of AVs
    February 19, 2019
    Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance is to develop a system which will allow local governments to carry out virtual tests of autonomous vehicles (AV). A report by The Japan News says the insurance company is hoping to reduce costs associated with real-world testing by providing a virtual environment which will feature road conditions based on 3D maps. This project stems from an agreement with Tier IV, a developer of autonomous driving technologies and measuring technology firm Aisan Technology. The system
    Read More
  • Lyft to offer AV service for blind riders
    July 23, 2019
    Lyft has joined forces with Aptiv and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to bring self-driving technology to its blind and low-vision riders in Las Vegas. The deal extends an agreement last year, in which Aptiv launched 30 autonomous vehicles (AVs) to pick up riders using Lyft’s app. NFB president Mark Riccobono says: “This demonstration will allow future blind drivers to experience and begin providing feedback about this technology, paving the way for the development of a non-visual user in
    Read More
  • Kuwait seeks web-based traffic demand management
    July 1, 2013
    The United Nations Development Programme in Kuwait (UNDP) has issued a tender for the development of web-based traffic demand management, road safety and enforcement project for the State of Kuwait. Tender documents and more information are available here. UNDP will arrange site visits to the State of Kuwait traffic control centre, Planning and Research Directorates, training centre, and police patrol operations centre to enable potential suppliers to obtain more information on existing traffic management
    Read More

Highlighted Content