The taxi business is quickly changing, with the Ford Crown Victoria set to take a permanent buyout, hybrids ready to invade Manhattan by 2012, and now robuCab. The driver-free robuCab was developed in France by Robosoft, and the technology is limited for now. It's a 4WD electric vehicle relying on a camera that reads a nearby curb and sensors reading both the curb angle and devices planted in the ground. The slow-moving robuCab prototypes can carry four passengers, but we're not seeing a lot of luggage space in the pictures above. We also don't see robuCab taking jobs from New York's finest any time soon, as the technology still isn't close to being ready for prime time. Then again, we've already seen enough success with recent driverless car challenges to know anything is possible.
[Source: Engadget]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan Roth @ Mar 14th 2008 1:08AM
robuCab? is that pronounced Rob You Cab? There's truth in advertising
sw @ Mar 14th 2008 11:13AM
This seems like a good idea, in the same way the segway did.
SPG @ Mar 14th 2008 11:21AM
Got some Blade Runner, Total Recall kinda cab action going on here.
Plus as a bonus it will but thousands of people out of work and provide less oportunities for people immigrating to North America and trying to establish themselves.
Unless they want to work at the robuCab factories I suppose.
Not so much feeling this this for the whole job loss thing.
Keith Griffin @ Mar 14th 2008 11:36AM
Out of respect for the fine men and women of the NYPD, who are rightfully called New York's Finest, please don't call taxi drivers New York's Finest. I was at a NY Auto Show press days a couple years ago when somebody from Jeep called firefighters NY Finest, when they're NY Bravest. Not sure what taxi drivers are called, but I'm sure this group could come up with some ideas.
And, how does one stay dry in a robucab when it's raining? Plus, it must be easy to bolt without paying!
godda9u @ Mar 14th 2008 11:53AM
should be NY craziest from the way they drive~
if a cabbie on the left side of the street see someone wave for a cab on the right side of a 0ne way street, they will go right across 4 lanes horizonally then backup on the 7th ave full of cars to get customer. i know cuz i seen it happen on greenwich.
also, it won't work in NYC, because pepple like to get off cab wherever they feel like, even if it's on the middle of the street with cars going by them left and right. no way the rob-u-cab will do that, not until the upgraded version mug-u-cab went into service
Alex @ Mar 14th 2008 11:38AM
That thing looks perfectly safe to be tooling around NYC traffic.
psarhjinian @ Mar 14th 2008 11:57AM
New York traffic moves?
mattydread @ Mar 14th 2008 11:50AM
I am all for driverless cars, but those designs do not look safe or capable of travel over 30 mph.
Andrew @ Mar 14th 2008 12:18PM
Who's going to clean out the vomit? Who's going to wake up daddy's little girl when she's passed out drunk? Who's going to converse with me when I sneak out of some cougar's den at 4AM and am still amped from redbull and vodka? You can't get rid of taxi cabs that easily.
godda9u @ Mar 14th 2008 12:28PM
still redbull and volka? you need to go out more
Bryan @ Mar 14th 2008 4:39PM
Yes because your only as cool as what you drink.
Andrew @ Mar 14th 2008 9:32PM
I was trying to be funny and thought "jacked up on coke" wouldn't be well received. My drink of choice is usually gin or bourbon.
kevin @ Mar 14th 2008 12:37PM
Theres no room for the cash cab guy!! Horrible idea
Jared @ Mar 14th 2008 1:06PM
Sure. That'll be real safe in collision.
Bryan @ Mar 14th 2008 4:44PM
They have been using a similar technology for years as robotic pallet pullers. The pallet pullers move through the hallways along with the people and if you step in front of it, it stops. I don't think we are as far from this as it may seem.
whynot? @ Mar 14th 2008 5:29PM
For cities where overcrowding makes cars suboptimal, why not? take it one step further and ban cars from certain areas of town and only allow Robocabs (better design than these, though...) that are centrally controlled. Think how this would work in Manhattan, like subways with better traffic management and access to specific locations.