The world’s first autonomous Amazon taxi Zoox will soon hit the road for its rider. I’m sure you wouldn’t hear about this futuristic taxi. So, here we will learn how the technology world is upgrading to an autonomous industry. Zoox is an autonomous taxi which is only for riders not for drivers. This futuristic taxi is going to launch officially in 2023.
This taxi is fully electric and runs on batteries. The amazing features of this taxi will amaze you. For now, it is in testing mode and has only been launched in some cities in the United States.
History of Zoox – The Robotaxi
In 2014, Zoox was founded by Jesse Levinson who was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO ) of the Zoox startup. Then in 2016, the team drew the first sketch of the concept car. Within a year the team succeed to test its first autonomous driving car in the Menlo Park of San Francisco.
In the year 2018, the team grew and they built their HQ and a year later in 2019, Aicha Evans joins as CEO of the Zoox.
The year of 2020 was impactful for both Zoox and Amazon because Amazon acquired Zoox. With 2 year of test it finally prepared it to hit road for self satisfaction and self-certification. Lastly, in 2023 Zoox announced that they are ready for public road and they have received driverless testing permit from Department of Motor Vehicle.
What is Zoox? Why it is so important?
Zoox is a taxi which is fully autonomous and specially built for riders. There will be no drivers inside the taxi to control it. The creators made it to make the tour personal and customizable. Thus, the creator’s main motive is to provide a safe and enjoyable journey.
In a few years, everything is going to be electrically operated and will use renewable resources as fuel. This concept of the taxi is still in its testing mode for some of its complex situations. This whole new concept can reduce accidents due to human error. In fact, a article by Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman says, at least 90% of accidents are caused by human error.
According to me, the next 5 to 10 years is for autonomous vehicles. As AI is evolving at a rapid speed automobile companies are ready to use it in their vehicle at a mass level. Some companies like Zoox and Tesla are ready with their product and vehicle. Therefore, Zoox can be a role model in the autonomous industry for the upcoming taxi.
Safety features of Zoox
There are so many things which make Zoox a special vehicle for your safety. Its compact size and bidirectional, protective airbags make it special on the taxi list.
Compact Size
This vehicle is of compact size but inside it has a spacious cabin for more comfort and a joyful ride. Due to its compact size, it can freely walk on any busy street.
Bidirectional
This vehicle is bidirectional which means it can move on either side i.e. it has no specific front and backside. Being bidirectional makes it fast in busy streets. This feature helps in passenger pickup and also removes the need to back up.
Airbags
When you want to talk about safety, the airbags inside the Zoox robotaxi stand out. You will get many airbags inside the taxi for your safety. There are some airbags which consist of rooftop airbags, horseshoe curtain airbags, rear airbags, frontal airbags, side head airbags and many more.
This vehicle is designed in such a way that it uses four-wheel steering for all types of curves on the road and for parking too.
Specification –
The company has made a strong physique which has strong and powerful motors. The suspension is of good quality. The Zoox has a 133 kWh powerful battery which allows the vehicle to operate all day. It has a dual motor and control system which establishes a good combination between motor and vehicle.
Its active suspension provides an extra comfortable ride for every rider inside the robotaxi.
How you can personalize your ride with Zoox?
Everyone wants to personalize their ride and for this Zoox has some smart plans. Every rider can play their favourite songs. Firstly, the seats have the same comfort every time the rider rides. Secondly, you can recharge your cell phone through their wireless charging system. Thirdly, you can Air you favourite song.
It will also have built-in assistance most probably it would be Amazon’s Alexa. Also, you can see your total riding time.
What is so special about Zoox?
When you talk about the speciality of Zoox robotaxi then you must know that it is built by smart engineers. Its Hi-tech sensors and cameras play a vital role in making it a trustable autonomous vehicle.
Sensors
This Robotaxi has some of the best sensor architecture to sense the possibilities coming up next. The sensors are mounted on the top of the roof of the car which makes it easy to differentiate between road users.
Cameras
The car has multiple cameras which can detect up to 150 m range. The built-in camera recognises the surroundings and gives the right instruction to the taxi. The advanced technology makes cameras and sensors sense all the possibilities.
Computing System
The computing system makes it unique from other EV cars. It senses and computes what to do next. This feature will be totally powered by AI.
Mapping
Zoox always traces predefined paths. It will use the map to locate its rider and its charging station. Nowadays we are using Ola and Uber for a taxi which uses Google Maps, many smart home robots are using mapping technology and so Zoox also use it to reach to its rider.
Perception
The perception feature of the Robotaxi makes it more advance to use. Advanced perception software categorises all road users, vehicles, signal lights etc. in real-time.
Note – It has three main components to work best in any condition even if the street is too busy i.e. Calibration, Localization and Mapping.
How Zoox’s camera and sensors helps?
Zoox’s autonomous mechanism works when its camera and sensors combines to create a 3-dimension surrounding in real time. The vehicle has 4 lidar sensors mounted on each corners of the vehicle. These sensors can provide 270° view and combines to provide whole 360° view. So, radar and optical camera gives a clear real-time footage to refine their 3-D mapping.
AI TeleGuidance
AI-regulated TeleGuidance includes when there are so much complex situations on how the vehicle is doing or whether it needs some manual handling. Here, it learns from every complex situation while driving. It learns if the same situation occurs every time.
Computer Vision
This feature will tell the car what the signal means in the real world and what other users are going to do if they are unconscious. This AI feature makes it reliable for the Zoox robotaxi to do its work efficiently and effectively.
How Amazon’s acquisition of Zoox has impacted?
Both Amazon and Zoox have futuristic view and so they have merged. After the acquisition the Zoox has believed that now they are having more resources to innovate their ideas and sail off to their mission. After the acquisition the Amazon has got access to Zoox’s patent portfolio. So, it is expected for the coming years that Amazon will use it for delivery by their self-driving cars and will save around $20 billion.
Expert says, acquisition of Zoox by Amazon will be very beneficial for the climate. Even in a episode of GeekWire’s the founder said that this is going to help environment by reducing carbon emission by 90%. .
What will change in the automobile industry with the arrival of Zoox?
In this era of technology and AI, things are changing rapidly. Any startup which have futuristic view and have ability to solve modern problem with innovative idea can survive for long. As a result, some entrepreneurs think big and solves the problem before it comes and Jesse Levinson is one of them. Jesse Levinson was knowing in upcoming years people will need some autonomous vehicle so he founded Zoox.
A lot is going to change with the arrival of Zoox. Zoox is going to be more safer, efficient, environmental friendly. This vehicle is for riders, not for drivers. And the CEO said, the next generation is of riders and people want to travel with privacy and security.
This is all about Zoox – the future vehicle. Both the companies are going to take full advantage of this technology.
If you are here after reading all the way then thank you!!
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