Uber plans to transform millions of drivers into sensor grid for AVs
Original: Uber wants to turn its millions of drivers into a sensor grid for self-driving companies
Why This Matters
Could create world's largest real-world driving data network for AV industry
Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga revealed plans to equip driver vehicles with sensors to collect real-world data for autonomous vehicle companies. The initiative extends beyond current AV Labs program using dedicated fleet.
Uber aims to transform its millions of global drivers into a massive data collection network for autonomous vehicle development. CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga announced the plan at TechCrunch's StrictlyVC event, describing it as an extension of the company's AV Labs program launched in January. Currently, AV Labs uses a small dedicated fleet of sensor-equipped vehicles, but Uber wants to scale by outfitting human drivers' cars. Naga emphasized that data, not technology, is now the bottleneck for AV development. Uber has partnerships with 25 AV companies including Wayve, and is building an 'AV cloud' - a library of labeled sensor data for training models. The system also allows partners to run models in 'shadow mode' against real Uber trips for testing.