Driverless cars tested on Atlanta streets as Georgia Tech researches technology

ATLANTA - Waymo, a self-driving tech company, is testing its vehicles on the streets of Atlanta. The California-based company introduced its fleet to the city on April 16.  

Don't expect to look over in traffic and see an empty vehicle just yet. "Human autonomous specialists will remain in the vehicles at all times when we are driving in Atlanta," Sandy Karp, Waymo spokesperson, told FOX 5. According to Karp, the company is mapping the city and "will begin driving autonomously, with a human behind the wheel, in the coming weeks." 

Waymo currently has yet to launch a rider program in Atlanta. Still, the company says it brings "the Waymo Driver to cities where we don't typically operate to evaluate its performance, identify unique regional nuances, and learn how to navigate them." 

While Waymo is new to the city, research on autonomous vehicles is not. Students and staff at Georgia Tech have been studying the interaction between humans and autonomous vehicles for years in the Autonomous and Connected Transportation Laboratory.  

"We need to understand what are some of the challenges that are there and how do we overcome those challenges, so this transition to the fully autonomous context is as smooth as possible," Srinivas Peeta, Ph.D., Frederick R. Dickerson Chair and Professor of Georgia Tech, told FOX 5.  

The professor and his students perform studies in a 360-degree simulator in the laboratory. There, they can test human and autonomous interactions in various circumstances. "We collect participant brainwaves, heart rate, eye location, and so on as part of understanding what happens when we get some of these new technologies," Professor Peeta told FOX 5. The academics test human reactions to driving, riding in an autonomous vehicle, reacting to a separate autonomous car on the road, and more.  

Professor Peeta was thrilled to see Waymo arrive in Atlanta, if only for data-gathering purposes. He firmly believes in a future where driving will be fully automated, though he acknowledges our society is not there yet. "Broadly speaking, I am excited to see it, but there are concerns as well... Multiple ethical concerns arise," he said. Those include concerns related to safety, equity, privacy, and more. Still, the professor believes all can and will be overcome, thanks in no small part to the work of his students and others like them. "The way I look at it, they represent our future. In many ways, they will be coming up with the innovations that are not yet there," Professor Peeta told FOX 5.