Waymo Updates Software After Robotaxis Stall During San Francisco Blackout

Waymo is deploying a software update to improve its robotaxis' navigation through disabled traffic lights during power outages, following incidents where vehicles stalled at intersections during a recent San Francisco blackout. The company explained that its self-driving system treats non-functional traffic signals as four-way stops, similar to human drivers. However, during the widespread outage, many vehicles requested confirmation from Waymo's fleet response team before proceeding, leading to congestion. Waymo stated that this confirmation request system was initially implemented "out of an abundance of caution during our early deployment" but is now being refined to align with the current scale of operations. The software update will provide the self-driving software with specific power outage context, enabling more decisive navigation. Additionally, Waymo plans to enhance its emergency response protocols by incorporating lessons learned from this event. Despite the challenges, the company reported that its vehicles successfully traversed more than 7,000 dark signals during the outage. Waymo acknowledged that navigating an event of this magnitude presented a unique challenge for autonomous technology.