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Apple Hires High-Profile Senior Waymo Engineer for Self-Driving Car Project
Apple has hired Jaime Waydo, an autonomous vehicle expert who previously worked as a senior engineer at Google's Waymo, reports The Information. An Apple spokesperson confirmed the hiring, but declined to provide details on what she would be working on.
Waydo, who served as head of systems engineering at Waymo, was "instrumental," according to former colleagues that spoke to The Information. She was in charge of verifying the safety of Waymo's prototypes and provided input on when it was safe enough to launch on-the-road tests in Phoenix in 2016.
Prior to working at Waymo, Waydo was a senior engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more than a decade, where she helped develop a rover vehicle that has driven on Mars.
The Information speculates that Apple's hiring of Waydo could indicate that it is making progress towards launching a prototype vehicle, but the report also says that the car project continues to suffer from a "lack of communication among teams."
Apple originally had ambitious self-driving vehicle plans that included a full autonomous vehicle, but those plans were scaled back and Apple shifted focus to autonomous driving software. Apple has been testing Lexus vehicles equipped with its autonomous driving software since April 2017.
In May, Apple signed a deal with Volkswagen to use Volkswagen vans for its on-campus shuttle program called "PAIL," which is designed to transport employees around its various campuses and office buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Volkswagens will be autonomous, powered by Apple's self-driving software.
Apple's self-driving shuttle program has been described as behind schedule and "consuming nearly all of the car team's attention," with the company having no clear idea of what it will do with the autonomous driving project beyond the shuttle efforts.
Waydo, who served as head of systems engineering at Waymo, was "instrumental," according to former colleagues that spoke to The Information. She was in charge of verifying the safety of Waymo's prototypes and provided input on when it was safe enough to launch on-the-road tests in Phoenix in 2016.
Prior to working at Waymo, Waydo was a senior engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more than a decade, where she helped develop a rover vehicle that has driven on Mars.
The Information speculates that Apple's hiring of Waydo could indicate that it is making progress towards launching a prototype vehicle, but the report also says that the car project continues to suffer from a "lack of communication among teams."
Apple originally had ambitious self-driving vehicle plans that included a full autonomous vehicle, but those plans were scaled back and Apple shifted focus to autonomous driving software. Apple has been testing Lexus vehicles equipped with its autonomous driving software since April 2017.
In May, Apple signed a deal with Volkswagen to use Volkswagen vans for its on-campus shuttle program called "PAIL," which is designed to transport employees around its various campuses and office buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Volkswagens will be autonomous, powered by Apple's self-driving software.
Apple's self-driving shuttle program has been described as behind schedule and "consuming nearly all of the car team's attention," with the company having no clear idea of what it will do with the autonomous driving project beyond the shuttle efforts.
Related Roundup: Apple Car
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14 weeks ago
I don't want an Apple car. I want an Apple computer that doesn't suck. Apple has lost its way.
They need to rename this site macwhiners.com. Insufferable.
14 weeks ago
With all the restrictions Apple puts on fixing their phones by 3rd parties. I can imagine, "Oops, flat tire? Well you can only use Apple proprietary tire or we will deactivate your car" And with the planned obsolescence, your car will be forced to be upgraded every 2 years. And careful with the software updates, cause it will throttle your top-speed due to degraded batteries.
14 weeks ago
Issue with that is control of the necessary Autonomy hardware/wiring/etc. They'll just figure out what they need for autonomy to work and buy Tesla.
They aren't going to buy Tesla because Tesla is not profitable and is in danger of bankruptcy, frankly.Apple doesn't do no profit.
14 weeks ago
I don’t get where Apple is going with this project. If they’re not going to build an Apple Car what’s the point.
I think the prevailing idea right now is that they create the software and license it to manufacturers, which avoids them having to deal with the mountain of problems related to trying to actually release a vehicle while still getting them a foothold in the market of autonomous vehicles.
14 weeks ago
They aren't going to buy Tesla because Tesla is not profitable and is in danger of bankruptcy, frankly.
Apple doesn't do no profit.
14 weeks ago
Autonomous vehicle programs are really starting to heat up. It's about to get real. Cyberdyne 1.0 here we come. :p:D
I find the whole self-driving car thing absolutely fascinating and will be watching closely as it all unfolds. But I think one thing Waymo, Tesla, Apple etc are all forgetting is humans. Sure, cars will one day be able to drive themselves, but will humans want them to?
What about the cross-over period where human drivers learn that you can cut in front of a self-driving car knowing it'll screech to a halt. Being the passenger in an automated car would quickly get frustrating! No nipping through the lights, no breaking the speed limit.
And what about when cities decide that all self-driving cars have to slave to a central computer that routes traffic in the most efficient way for the whole city. Not the best for you, but best for traffic flow. So suddenly your 10min nip across town takes 25mins as a central computer takes you on a detour to help traffic flow.
Will people pay to park their cars? Or just do their shopping whilst their car drives around the town for an hour. Congestion could become epic.
And don't forget, we've had self-driving cars for decades. You get in them, say where you want to go, and it takes you there while you have a sleep.
They're called taxis.
But it hasn't stopped people spending tens of thousands on their own car that they have to drive themselves.
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