Bob R.

DesignCon reinforced how rapidly high-speed systems and AI-driven hardware are evolving, where speed and precision are now baseline expectations. The pace of change in this space is remarkable, and being in the room where innovation is happening in real time is always energizing.

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WAYMO EXPANDS BAY AREA ROBOTAXI SERVICE ACROSS PENINSULA & SILICON VALLEY Waymo continues to lead the autonomous vehicle industry with its latest expansion of robotaxi services across the Peninsula and Silicon Valley. •Waymo’s fully driverless rides are now available in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, connecting key tech hubs. •The autonomous vehicle industry is projected to surpass $1.2 trillion globally by 2030, with AI-powered robotaxis transforming urban mobility. •Waymo, backed by Alphabet, has logged over 20 million autonomous miles on public roads, setting the industry standard for safety and innovation. •The Bay Area remains a focal point for AI-driven transportation, fueling economic growth, job creation, and cutting-edge research. #AI #AutonomousVehicles #Waymo #Robotics #SelfDriving #TechNews #SiliconValley #Mobility #Innovation

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Getting the tech right is only half the battle. If the public doesn't trust it or regulators block it, your state-of-the-art robot is just a very expensive paperweight. Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1:00 PM PT, I’m hosting a session for the UC San Diego Alumni AI Council (https://lnkd.in/gSWBz22V) "AI Perspectives" series to talk about the messy, non-technical reality of getting physical AI out the door. Drawing on my experience deploying self-driving vehicles, off-road robotics, and other safety-critical systems, we're skipping the theoretical hype and diving straight into the actual friction points of deployment: ➡️ What actually goes into a successful deployment beyond the code and hardware? ➡️ How public opinion actively accelerates—or completely stalls—adoption. ➡️ How regulators are approaching novel, autonomous technologies today, and how to navigate those frameworks. ➡️ The current deployment bottlenecks we are seeing across physical AI industries and how to build a strategy that actually wins over customers and regulators (instead of just hoping for the best). Whether you are building safety-critical systems, wrestling with deployment bottlenecks, or just curious about what happens when AI meets the physical world, you should be there. https://lnkd.in/gtYg9yzr (And yes, if you register, you'll get the recording even if you can't make it live).

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With Tesla’s Robotaxi launch now official, are we witnessing another leap in autonomous mobility or is this about generating alternative headlines? As many of you saw in my Waymo post this rapid rise in robotaxis use (27% market share in San Francisco), highlights that it is not just about technology, it is a system design challenge. Autonomous ride-hailing brings clear benefits: increased safety, lower operating costs, and greater accessibility. But robotaxis alone will not solve congestion or urban mobility challenges. If unmanaged, they could make things worse. More vehicles circulating and more fragmented trips could drive up traffic volumes rather than reduce them. This is why investment and policy must prioritise strengthening public transport first. High-capacity, efficient transit delivers far greater societal benefits, moving more people with less congestion, lower emissions, and at lower cost. Autonomous services should complement, not compete with, public transport. Without this focus, robotaxis risk widening mobility divides and adding to congestion. Policy and urban design will be critical: dynamic road pricing, incentives for pooled rides, regulation of empty vehicle running, and better integration with public transit. We must also ask hard questions about jobs, equity, and the best use of public and private investment. Tesla’s vision-only approach is a bold contrast to sensor-rich models like Waymo’s. Time will tell if this enables scale or introduces new risks. As with all breakthrough technologies, robotaxis are neither inherently good nor bad. It depends on how we integrate them into a broader transport ecosystem. The future of mobility must be a thoughtful blend of public transport, active mobility, shared services, and emerging technologies, designed to serve all in society, not just those who can afford it. #TeslaRobotaxi #AutonomousVehicles #UrbanMobility #SmartCities #FutureOfTransport

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🚗 Waymo's self-driving cars are remotely assisted by operators in the Philippines. It turns out that "fully autonomous" vehicles still rely on human intervention for difficult driving scenarios. Waymo's Chief Safety Officer recently confirmed that some of these critical remote assistance roles are located overseas. This highlights a significant global element in the operation of advanced AI systems. 💡 Human oversight from remote locations is a crucial, yet often unacknowledged, component of current self-driving technology. What are the implications for safety, job markets, and data security when critical AI support roles are outsourced globally? #AutonomousVehicles #AI #FutureOfWork #Waymo #GlobalWorkforce Thanks to ai.rise.co for sharing this video 🙏

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Uber will invest ‌up to $1.25 billion in electric vehicle maker Rivian as part of a deal in which the ride-hailing firm will start deploying 10,000 fully autonomous R2 SUVs as robotaxis from 2028, the companies ​said on Thursday. Rivian's shares rose about 9% in premarket trading. San Francisco-based Uber will ​make an initial investment of $300 million, and will fund the remaining ⁠amount through 2031, subject to Rivian meeting certain autonomous milestones. R2 robotaxis will be available exclusively on Uber's platform, starting with San Francisco and ​Miami, the companies said, ​adding that Uber ⁠has the option to buy up to 40,000 more beginning in 2030. "Should all milestones be achieved, the companies will have deployed ​thousands of unsupervised Rivian R2 robotaxis across 25 cities in the ​U.S., Canada, ⁠and Europe by the end of 2031," they said. More on Reuters with Akash Sriram https://lnkd.in/gMBsRBYr

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