News Summary

On December 27, a collision occurred between a Waymo robotaxi and a Serve Robotics sidewalk delivery robot at a Los Angeles intersection. The incident was captured on video and circulated on social media, showing the Serve bot attempting to cross the street and reach the sidewalk. As it tried to correct its path, the Waymo vehicle, making a right turn, collided with it. The Waymo Driver system identified the delivery robot as an inanimate object and applied hard braking, but contact was made at a low speed of 4 miles per hour. No damage was reported to either autonomous vehicle, and both were able to continue their paths shortly after. The collision, reported by TechCrunch, raises questions about liability and decision-making processes when autonomous vehicles interact. Both Waymo and Serve have stated their commitment to preventing future incidents, though specifics about liability in such cases remain unclear.