Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi unit said it plans to begin offering paid rides in Las Vegas this month, after it received the US’ first permit for an autonomous vehicle without human controls such as a steering wheel or a manual brake pedal.
Unlike some autonomous ride firms, such as Google sister company Waymo, which use conventional automobiles retrofitted with sensors and other controls, Zoox deploys specially designed, boxy vehicles that have four inward-facing passenger seats and no human controls.
Because of this, to date it hasn’t been able to offer paid robotaxi rides, because the US lacks an approval process for such cars.
Zoox’s purpose-built robotaxi. Image credit: Zoox
Custom driverless vehicles
