Amazon’s Zoox recalls self-driving cars amid emergency | Technology News

The recall is the latest in a series of reports of autonomous vehicles failing emergency tests.

Amazon subsidiary Zoox has said it will recall its fleet of 105 self-driving cars in the United States.

The tech company announced the recall on Friday amid growing concerns that vehicles may not detect the high levels of smoke and could hinder emergency workers.

Last week, the top US auto safety official said the self-driving car industry must address the “clear-cut options” for self-driving cars that confuse law enforcement and other first responders and have raised serious safety concerns.

Zoox said on Friday that on June 20, Zoox’s unmanned autonomous vehicle encountered heavy smoke that suddenly covered the area of ​​the fire.

Zoox’s car entered the scene, then crashed hard while trying to get away, before coming to a stop. Zoox’s vehicle, under teleguidance, was replaced, after which first responders placed cones at the scene, blocking two of the three lanes.

Zoox said the new software update aims to improve the existing technology to detect and respond to large amounts of smoke.

Jonathan Morrison, who heads the US Motor Vehicle Regulatory Commission, said in a letter to the independent industry (AV) that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has documented several robotaxis driving in hazardous areas.

The letter also cited instances where the vehicles “obstructed the path of ambulances and firefighters, or failed to recognize and respond to critical safety conditions such as flashing lights, flames, smoke, fire, and cones.”

NHTSA said it will schedule meetings with automakers at the end of the month to find answers.

“AVs that cannot securely communicate with ⁠first responders are at risk to civilians,” ⁠Morrison said in the letter.

In late May, Dallas media reported that Waymo’s self-driving car partially blocked a route used by fire trucks to reach a burning building.

Some videos have shown Waymo cars blocking an ambulance and driving through a police line.

NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating various incidents involving self-driving cars, including Waymo’s vehicles that stopped school buses with their lights on in violation of Texas state law.