Plurai, a startup founded by former Nexar engineers Ilan Kadar and Elad Levi, has raised $13 million in seed funding led by Team8, with additional backing from U&I, Velocity and Mercer. The company builds simulation environments using synthetic data modeled on a client's own systems to test AI agents against difficult edge cases before deployment, drawing on techniques the founders previously used to develop and validate autonomous driving software.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-11-11
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, a new App Drivers Union joined forces with Boston Carmen's Union Local 589 and Teamsters Local 25 to press city officials over the growing presence of Waymo vehicles mapping local streets ahead of an eventual driverless rollout. Drivers, including former cab operators who already lost income to Uber and Lyft, say they fear a second wave of disruption from autonomous vehicles. The group cited Atlanta, where the Rideshare Drivers Union reports lower pay, longer wait times, and fewer fares since Waymo launched there in summer 2025.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-31
A government proposal would require robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles to display distinct cyan-colored exterior lights when operating without a human driver. The color is intended to visually signal to pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers that no person is controlling the vehicle.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-27
A former Luminar CTO and co-founder, who worked on lidar technology for self-driving cars, writes that AI companies are evolving from infrastructure customers into infrastructure builders themselves. He draws on his 2022 experience speaking at an automotive conference about the autonomous vehicle transformation to frame today's AI buildout.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-24
A personal essay recounts a writer's experience riding in a Waymo self-driving car along the same Bay Area surface roads she once drove as a teenager, since Waymo vehicles remain barred from freeways. The piece juxtaposes the autonomous ride with memories of a serious car accident she had as a young driver, and muses on how driverless cars change the emotional relationship people have with automobiles.
newyorker.com
· 2026-10-21
With Congress still unable to pass national legislation covering autonomous vehicles, cities and states are increasingly writing their own rules for robotaxi operators. The resulting patchwork of local regulations has emerged after years of federal inaction, even as companies like Waymo expand robotaxi service into more cities.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-18
A passenger riding in a Tesla robotaxi in the Bay Area recorded the vehicle repeatedly emitting flatulent sounds through its novelty 'emissions testing' feature, unable to be turned off. The human safety driver on board, required since Tesla's robotaxis aren't yet licensed in California, told the passenger he had been adjusting settings and lost control of the function, including the volume.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-16
Nvidia introduced Halos for Robotics in 2026, a safety architecture designed to enable secure deployment of autonomous robots and humanoids. The system includes hardware like the IGX Thor module, which integrates safety functions directly into the silicon. This move expands Nvidia’s safety solutions beyond autonomous vehicles to broader physical AI applications.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-08
Elon Musk said Tesla extended its Austin robotaxi operating hours from 10pm to 11pm, explaining the limit exists to avoid hitting pets that are hard to see at night, specifically citing grey kittens on grey pavement. Tesla relies solely on cameras for its self-driving system, forgoing the radar and LIDAR sensors used by rival robotaxi operators.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-05
A Waymo robotaxi was flagged and stopped by police in San Mateo County after staff monitoring interior cameras saw passengers appear to fire a handgun inside the vehicle; it turned out to be an Orbeez water-gun. Waymo confirmed its vehicles have automated systems that can detect firearms, and earlier this year used cabin cameras to verify riders' ages after intercom interventions.
wired.com
· 2026-10-02
Waymo released new safety data claiming its autonomous vehicles caused 82% fewer injury-related crashes and 95% fewer serious-injury crashes than human drivers, based on 271 million driverless miles through June across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and Phoenix. The company also reported reductions in injury crashes involving pedestrians (93%), cyclists (86%) and motorcyclists (82%), and shared video of near-misses it says its system avoided.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-27
Waymo released updated self-reported safety data covering 271 million driverless miles through June across Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, Los Angeles and the San Francisco-Bay Area, 50 million more miles than its previous report. The company says its robotaxis showed an 82% reduction in injury-causing crashes, 95% fewer serious-injury crashes, and sharply lower rates of pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle injury crashes compared with human drivers.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-24
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