A driverless car operated by Chinese tech giant Baidu was involved in an incident in Wuhan, China, where it hit a pedestrian crossing against the light. Baidu stated that the car started moving when the light turned green and made minor contact with the pedestrian, who was later examined at a hospital with no external injuries reported.
According to Chinese financial news outlet Yicai, the incident in Wuhan on Sunday exposed the challenge of autonomous driving in complex scenarios. An expert mentioned that the technology may have difficulty dealing with unconventional behavior like pedestrians or vehicles breaking traffic laws.
Pictures shared online showed a person sitting on the ground in front of the driverless car, which was equipped with rooftop sensors. Social media comments largely favored Baidu, emphasizing that the pedestrian was at fault for violating the law, as reported by the Shanghai Daily newspaper.
Baidu, a Beijing-based company specializing in search engines and artificial intelligence, is a prominent player in developing autonomous driving technology in China. Its significant “robotaxi” fleet of 300 cars operates in Wuhan, as well as in selective areas of Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chongqing. The company unveiled the sixth generation of its driverless taxi service in May, claiming a reduction in unit cost to under $30,000.
