Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Razer’s Pro Click V2 Vertical Is the Ergonomic Gaming Mouse You’re Looking For

    July 27, 2025

    Apple beta season is here

    July 27, 2025

    The ICJ Rules That Failing to Combat Climate Change Could Violate International Law

    July 27, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Tesla’s Robotaxis Are Rolling Out Soon—With One Big Unanswered Question
    Gear

    Tesla’s Robotaxis Are Rolling Out Soon—With One Big Unanswered Question

    News RoomBy News RoomJune 10, 20253 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Self-driving vehicle developers don’t usually love talking about “teleoperation”—when a human guides or drives robot cars remotely. It can feel like a dirty secret. Shouldn’t an autonomous vehicle operate, well, autonomously?

    But experts say teleoperations are, at least right now, a critical part of any robot taxi service, including Tesla’s Robotaxi. The tech, though impressive, is still in development, and the autonomous systems still need humans to guide them through less-common and especially sticky road situations. Plus, a bedrock principle of safety engineering is that every system needs a backup—doubly so for new robotic ones that involve two-ton EVs driving themselves on public roads.

    And yet, just days out from Tesla’s launch of its long-awaited (and much delayed) Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, the public still doesn’t know much at all about its teleoperations systems. Tesla has posted a job related to teleoperations that states the role will be responsible for developing the application “that our Remote Operators use to interface with our cars and robots,” an application where these operators will be “transported into the device’s world using a state-of-the-art VR rig that allows them to remotely perform complex and intricate tasks.”

    Alarmingly, several government spokespeople—representing the city of Austin, the state of Texas, and the US’s top road safety regulator—didn’t respond to questions about Tesla’s teleoperations. Indeed, Austin and the Texas Department of Transportation referred all our questions about Tesla technology to the company itself. Tesla, which disbanded its public relations team in 2020, didn’t respond to WIRED’s questions.

    Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the country’s road safety watchdog, wrote a letter to Tesla posing questions about, among other things, how or if Tesla planned to use teleoperations. How will its human staff be expected to monitor, supervise, or even intervene when its systems are on the road? The government asked the company to respond by June 19, which will be after the service supposedly launches on June 12, according to reporting from Bloomberg earlier this month. NHTSA repeatedly would not respond to WIRED’s inquiries into what it knows about Tesla’s teleoperations.

    The Los Angeles Times reported that humans used teleoperations to manipulate the robot Optimus during a “Cybercab” debut event in Los Angeles, and when Optimus showed off its new hands a month later, catching a tennis ball in mid-air, an engineer for the company acknowledged that humans similarly used teleoperations. The company also has a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California with a driver behind the wheel. The state has much stricter rules than Texas and requires some kind of “communication link” between testing vehicles and remote operators, so it’s likely the company has some kind of system.

    While not shedding any light on exactly how Tesla’s teleoperations will work in the city, Austin Transportation and Public Works spokesperson Cristal Corrales wrote in an email: “The City works with AV [autonomous vehicle] companies before and during deployment to obtain training for first responders, establish expectations for ongoing communication and share information about infrastructure and events.” Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Laura Butterbrodt said in an emailed statement: “Texas law allows for AV testing and operations on Texas roadways as long as they meet the same safety and insurance requirements as every other vehicle on the road.”

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleAndroid 16 has arrived with iPhone-style Live Updates
    Next Article Nothing Phone 3 leak shows the Glyph lights might be gone

    Related Posts

    Razer’s Pro Click V2 Vertical Is the Ergonomic Gaming Mouse You’re Looking For

    July 27, 2025

    Nemo’s Updated Dagger Osmo Tent Has Nicer Fabric and Better Design Details

    July 26, 2025

    Do You Need a Barbecue Knife?

    July 26, 2025

    The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Is Both a Square and a Circle. A Squircle!

    July 26, 2025

    Map Your Brain for Better Sleep (Maybe) With the Somnee Sleep Headband

    July 26, 2025

    You Can Customize Zenbivy’s Light Bed System for How You Sleep

    July 25, 2025
    Our Picks

    Apple beta season is here

    July 27, 2025

    The ICJ Rules That Failing to Combat Climate Change Could Violate International Law

    July 27, 2025

    Nemo’s Updated Dagger Osmo Tent Has Nicer Fabric and Better Design Details

    July 26, 2025

    Here are the laptops I’d tell any parent to consider for their back-to-school student

    July 26, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    Gear

    Do You Need a Barbecue Knife?

    By News RoomJuly 26, 2025

    A while back at my favorite kitchen-gear trade show, I spotted what appeared to be…

    OnePlus Nord 5 review: selfie-centric midranger

    July 26, 2025

    There’s Neuralink—and There’s the Mind-Reading Company That Might Surpass It

    July 26, 2025

    The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Is Both a Square and a Circle. A Squircle!

    July 26, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.