Waymo (Website), the autonomous driving technology company under Alphabet Inc., has expanded its testing operations to Orlando to see how its cars perform during heavy rains. Albeit, with a driver behind the wheel, just to be sure, to facilitate safer data collection.
Waymo uses artificial intelligence to detect a car’s surroundings and respond accordingly, and warn drivers.
Agencies like the Orlando Economic Partnership (Website) have been convincing tech companies for years that Orlando is the place to test autonomous vehicles (AV), with companies like Beep already operating here. Orlando was one of the first regions in the country to be formally recognized as an official AV testing ground.
Orlando’s unique combination of urban infrastructure and subtropical climate presents both opportunities and challenges for AV testing. The city’s frequent rainstorms and high humidity levels offer a valuable environment for assessing and improving AV performance under adverse weather conditions, and our high concentration of simulation, aviation, defense, and space exploration businesses doesn’t hurt either.
Waymo is already established in cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami, where its cars provide rideshare services like Lyft and Uber. A spokesperson has shared that at this time, they are not launching a similar service in Florida.