Other Organisations Approach taken by Baidu to introduce robotaxis in China
This video shows an Apollo Go ride in Changsha. This platform is developed by Baidu in China.

Baidu has made significant progress in its robotaxi platform. It has been operating for several months in a few cities in China.

I like the following aspects of the approach taken by Baidu.

a) It uses a number of fixed stations to pick and drop passengers. This reduces complexity for the software.

b) The robotaxi is connected to smart traffic lights. It restricts the operation of the taxi to certain parts of the city which has been mapped into the system. This approach is acceptable, as the robotaxi is expected to operate within a certain zone.

c) The robotaxi uses vision to detect the presence of other vehicles and people. The technology has been working well

d) Baidu adopts a gradual approach to get people to be familiar with the use of robotaxi and to gain their confidence in this mode of transport.

e) Baidu now uses a safety driver who is expected to take over in case of a problem. This is a temporary measure to gain the confidence of the traffic regulator and the customers. When the system is proven to be safe, the regulator will allow the robotaxi to operate without a regulator.

I am confident (maybe just hopeful) that this approach will work and that robotaxi (or driverless taxi) will be an importan component of transport in a city. 

The robotaxi will serve a market, but will not replace humun driven taxis entirely. There will be other segments of the market that the robotaxis will not operate. These segments will continue to be served by human drivers.

After it is proved successful in many cities in China, I expect Baidu to operate the Apollo Go platform in other cities around the world.

Tan Kin Lian
 

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