Waymo, a leading developer of self-driving technology, has explained why its robotaxis became stuck at intersections during a recent blackout in San Francisco. According to a blog post published by the company, the self-driving system in its robotaxis treats dead stop lights as four-way stops, just like humans are supposed to. However, this approach led to a concentrated spike in confirmation requests from the fleet response team, which helped create congestion at intersections.

The confirmation request system was built by Waymo as an abundance of caution during its early deployment. However, the company has now acknowledged that this strategy is no longer effective at its current scale. As a result, Waymo is shipping a software update to help its robotaxis navigate disabled traffic lights more decisively during power outages. The update is designed to refine the confirmation request system and prevent similar congestion in the future.

Waymo's blog post attributed the congestion to the widespread nature of the power outage on Saturday, which led to a surge in confirmation requests from the fleet response team. The company stated that its self-driving system was designed to prioritize caution and safety, but this approach ultimately led to the congestion caught on video. Waymo emphasized that its robotaxis are equipped with the ability to make confirmation checks, but the concentrated spike in requests during the outage caused the congestion.

According to Waymo, the company built the confirmation request system to ensure that its robotaxis were operating safely and correctly. However, as the company's deployment has grown, the system has become less effective. Waymo's update is designed to address this issue and provide a more efficient solution for navigating disabled traffic lights during power outages.

The incident highlights the challenges that self-driving technology faces in navigating complex and unpredictable real-world scenarios. As the use of autonomous vehicles becomes more widespread, companies like Waymo will need to continue to refine their technology to ensure safe and efficient operation.

Waymo's software update is expected to be rolled out to its fleet in the coming weeks. The company has not provided a specific timeline for the update, but it is expected to improve the performance of its robotaxis in navigating disabled traffic lights during power outages.