FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Powering Safe and Easy Transport: The Fifth-Generation Waymo Driver

YooJung Ahn, along with the design team, has unveiled the fifth-generation Waymo Driver, a groundbreaking technology aimed at revolutionizing transportation safety and efficiency. The Waymo Driver's latest hardware suite includes new, leading technologies that can be applied to passenger vehicles and long-haul trucks, taking tangible steps to make our roads dramatically safer. This innovation comes at a crucial time, with 1.35 million deaths caused by traffic crashes each year, and 94% of U.S. traffic crashes being attributed to human error.

Waymo’s technology, the Waymo Driver, has the potential to save millions of lives and improve mobility for people and things. The fifth-generation Waymo Driver can be applied to multiple vehicle platforms, from cars to trucks, and power use cases across ride-hailing, trucking, local delivery, and personal car ownership. The latest system is more powerful than ever before and designed for scale, enabling safer and easier transportation for both people and goods.

The Waymo Driver’s latest hardware suite includes three sensing technologies—lidar, cameras, and radar. The team has designed these technologies to feel approachable to users while prioritizing safety and performance. For example, moving LEDs have been added to the 360 lidar, incorporating Waymo branding and a personal identification symbol, providing a mechanism for customers to identify their vehicle.

YooJung Ahn and the design team overcame the creative challenge of ensuring the high-tech Waymo Driver remains human-centered. They carefully curated the placement of sensors and other technology on cars and trucks to maximize safety and performance while maintaining a seamless appearance on the vehicle.

The fifth-generation Waymo Driver is a winner of the prestigious A' Design Award, receiving Platinum in A' Robotics, Automaton, and Automation Design Award in 2021. This recognition highlights the exceptional and highly innovative design that showcases unmatched professionalism and contributes to societal wellbeing. It advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology, exhibiting transcendent excellence and making the world a better place.

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