Photo by Alexey Komissarov on Unsplash
Waymo Deploys Driverless Robotaxis In San Francisco Freeways
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
The American autonomous driving company Waymo will begin testing its self-driving vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area this week.
According to TechCrunch , Waymo—formerly the Google self-driving car project— got approval from California regulators back in March.
The company is now allowed to deploy its robotaxis in that area and charge users for the rides on Los Angeles and San Francisco freeways. However, the first rides are usually for testing by the company’s own employees.
Despite the recent debut, many people have already started to complain about a honking situation. According to The Verge , Sophia Tung, a software engineer who has been live streaming a parking lot in San Francisco that Waymo is using for its vehicles, caught the self-driving vehicles honking at 4:00 am while they parked during downtimes.
There are other situations where the honking seems to be necessary and users are rather impressed. One user shared on Twitter that the self-driving vehicle noticed another car with a driver doing parallel parking and honked while backing up. Saswat Panigrahi, the company’s chief product officer (CPO) explained that it’s a common feature that users notice.
“The Waymo Driver does indeed honk when necessary! Here’s an example where a garbage truck in SF began reversing towards our vehicle. The Driver automatically honked and reversed to make way for the truck before moving on,” wrote the CPO and shared a video with a demonstration.
We get this a lot 😀. The @Waymo Driver does indeed honk when necessary! Here’s an example where a garbage truck in SF began reversing towards our vehicle. The Driver automatically honked and reversed to make way for the truck before moving on. https://t.co/tuNrtx9qGB pic.twitter.com/v0IGgljHoc — Saswat Panigrahi (@saswat101) August 7, 2024
Waymo is currently providing robotaxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. According to San Francisco Chronicle , the self-driving vehicles began expanding its presence in San Francisco and Los Angeles in May reaching more than 200,000 people, its largest record since it started providing the services in the fall of last year.
This news comes just days after drivers in China have expressed their concerns about robotaxi’s boom in the country. China’s deployment of self-driving vehicles has been more aggressive and has been growing faster than in the U.S.
Image by Nordskov Media, from Flickr
TikTok Expands Social Features With New Group Chats And Stickers
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
On August 12, TikTok introduced new group chat features, allowing users to create conversations with up to 32 people. Available to users aged 16 and older, this update aims to streamline social interactions by letting users share TikToks directly with friends within the app, according to The Verge .
In their post , TikTok states that to ensure the safety of younger users, it has implemented specific measures for the Group Chat feature. Users aged 13 to 15 will not have access to Group Chat. Additionally, to ensure that older teens aged 16 to 17 can use this feature safely, TikTok has implemented several safeguards.
Firstly, only friends—users who follow each other—can add someone to a Group Chat. Furthermore, if a teen receives an invitation link to join a group, they can only join if at least one member of the group is a mutual friend. Even then, they must actively choose to join. Additionally, when a teen creates a group conversation, TikTok requires them to review and approve any new participants by default.
Stickers will also be added to Direct Messages. According to the TikTok post, this feature allows users to create and share custom visual elements within their chats.
Along with Stickers, TikTok is introducing a Group Chat feature that allows users to create and join group conversations with up to 32 people. This feature aims to facilitate a shared viewing experience, enabling users to watch, comment on, and react to videos together in real time.
As reported by The Verge, to start a group chat, select the Inbox button, tap on Chat, choose the friends you want to include, and then hit “Start group chat.” However, there are some restrictions: you can only join a group chat if you’re invited by users you follow back. Additionally, if you have disabled messaging from everyone on the platform, you won’t receive any invites.
According to TechCrunch , this latest addition shows that TikTok is aiming to make its platform more social and conversational with friends, rather than just an entertainment space for interacting with strangers.
