Ford Emboldens Its Robotic Rides
- The company’s autonomous vehicles are gaining competence
- CEO downplays project plans at Alphabet’s Waymo, GM’s Cruise
Ford's autonomous vehicle.
Source: Ford Motor Co.
The self-driving Ford Fusion, with a white crown of cameras, radars and lasers sensing its surroundings, was coursing through the congested streets of Miami when a bicyclist cut across its path. The robot didn’t even tap the brakes. It cruised along at 25 miles an hour, knowing that the bike was far enough away and moving fast enough across three lanes of traffic that there was no risk of collision.
Grandma is no longer behind the wheel in Ford Motor Co.’s robot rides. A major knock against autonomous cars has been that they are officious, rule-following bores that actually cause crashes due to their cautiousness. Ford’s self-driving partner, Argo AI, has been working to relax the robot behind the wheel and give it the confidence of human drivers, but without sacrificing safety. It’s a fine line.