Woman’s mid-drive scream sets off alarms in a Waymo, then the robotaxi detects unusual activity and phones the police

A San Francisco woman successfully delivered a baby inside a self-driving Waymo taxi earlier this week, providing a heartwarming story for a technology that often only makes headlines for the wrong reasons. This is wild news, and honestly, it’s a huge testament to the safety systems Waymo has built into its autonomous fleet.

The woman was heading to the University of California, San Francisco medical center on Monday when the birth happened mid-trip. Because there isn’t a human driver present in these robotaxis, the vehicle’s technology had to step up. A Waymo spokesperson confirmed that their rider support team immediately detected “unusual activity” inside the vehicle. They called to check on the rider and alerted 911 simultaneously. That’s a top-tier safety feature, knowing the car can phone for help even when there’s no human driver present.

The robotaxi arrived safely at the hospital with the new mother and child before emergency services even got there, according to The Guardian. The mother and baby were confirmed safe and healthy by UCSF spokesperson Jess Berthold.

This is the best use of a Waymo taxi

The big mystery right now is exactly how the car knew something was wrong. Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, declined to elaborate on the specific method the vehicle used to detect the “unusual activity.” I’m guessing it had to be a sudden scream, rapid movement, or maybe a quick change in temperature or weight distribution. Whatever the trigger was, the tech was snappier than the human emergency response system, which is a huge win for robotaxis.

The company was quick to address the happy news, releasing a statement saying, “We’re proud to be a trusted ride for moments big and small, serving riders from just seconds old to many years young.” That’s a lovely sentiment, and it really highlights the trust people are placing in this technology for critical situations. Waymo also noted that while this is a rare event, this is actually not the first time a baby has been delivered in one of their vehicles.

After the ride, the taxi was immediately taken out of service for a deep cleaning, which is probably the most crucial logistical step they had to handle that day. To be honest, it’s nice to report on something nice after the issues Waymo has been having.

Waymo really needed this positive story, especially considering the kind of press they usually receive. The driverless taxis have become incredibly popular, operating across major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and Phoenix, Arizona. But they also court a lot of scrutiny.

Despite hiccups, this birth story proves that the core safety systems are working exactly how they should. You can trust that if you’re in a critical situation, the car isn’t just going to sit there; it’s going to call for help.