π¨ A Waymo robotaxi and a Serve delivery robot collided in Los Angeles
On December 27, 2024, a Waymo robotaxi collided with a Serve delivery robot in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Video footage shows the Serve bot attempting to navigate onto a sidewalk when it was struck by the Waymo vehicle, which was making a right turn. Despite claims that the Serve robot may have run a red light, this was not confirmed by the footage.
Waymo stated that its Driver system recognized the delivery robot as an inanimate object and acted defensively, applying hard brakes before the low-speed collision at 4 mph. Fortunately, neither vehicle was damaged, and they continued on their way shortly after.
This incident marks the first collision between a Serve robot and a robotaxi, with Serve confirming that its bot was under remote supervision at the time. Both companies are discussing ways to prevent similar incidents in the future, although specific liability details for future collisions remain unclear.
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