SAN FRANCISCO—The very first birth on a Waymo self-driving taxi has no specified date, but transpired in Phoenix, Arizona. After the event in San Francisco on Monday, December 8, it made headlines as one of the few known examples that a birth happened in a driverless, Level 4, autonomous vehicle in San Francisco.
On Wednesday, December 10, the story of the birth had gone viral. On December 9, Waymo, the robotaxi company confirmed the story to national news outlets.
On Monday, December 8, a pregnant San Francisco woman, whose identity has not been disclosed to the public, was in labor and called a Waymo self-driving taxi to take her to UCSF Medical Center. She did not make it to the hospital to deliver the baby. Instead, she delivered the baby inside the Waymo autonomous vehicle.
Through its internal cameras and microphones, Waymo’s Rider Support was able to detect ‘unusual activity’ within the car, causing a support team member to reach out to check on the rider’s progress. After realizing what was occurring, they decided to call 9-1-1.
The Mountain View-based company safely continued on its journey to UCSF Medical Center, delivering the baby before paramedics even arrived. The baby and mother arrived at UCSF Medical Center where they both received emergency services. After the baby’s birth, this particular Waymo immediately was taken out of service for cleaning.
