Waymo Robotaxi Delivers Baby Mid-Ride in San Francisco, Making Driverless History

A story out of San Francisco on Monday night became the stuff of national headlines: a pregnant woman gave birth inside a Waymo robotaxi while en route to UCSF Medical Center. It became one of those remarkable moments in the history of autonomous vehicles.

Initially, there was an "unusual activity" detected inside the car. Since the remote monitoring wasn't sure what was happening, they immediately dialed 911. The vehicle would beat emergency services to the hospital, proving the efficiency and reliability in the most unexpected situations with driverless navigation.

From Traditional Taxis to Driverless Cars

According to TechCrunch, it is a given factor in urban life across the globe to see expectant mothers racing to hospitals from taxis, Ubers, and ride-share vehicles.

Stories abound, such as the mother in India who humorously named her son Uber after delivering him en route, and a 2017 California couple who welcomed a child in an Uber during Shabbat. These moments have traditionally been spontaneous and chaotic, requiring human drivers to act quickly.

Today, driverless technology makes that experience partly automated. Waymo's robotaxi drove the city streets on the day of birth and ushered the mother and the newborn into medical care without a human driver on the wheel.

Waymo's Expanding Role in Real-World Scenarios

This birth in San Francisco wasn't Waymo's first delivery-on-the-go. The company confirmed that a baby in Phoenix was previously born during a Waymo ride.

A company spokesperson told the SF Standard, "While this is a very rare occurrence, some of our newest riders just can't wait to experience their first Waymo ride."

The San Francisco birth vehicle was quickly taken away for cleaning, reflecting the safety and hygiene policies adopted by Waymo in events out of the ordinary.

As driverless technology continues to mature, experiences once reserved for human-operated rides will surface more often, even as those instances remain rare. Waymo's milestone suggests that autonomous vehicles aren't just changing how people get to work and school; they might be altering life's most unexpected moments.

From running errands to giving birth, the self-driving car era shows it can handle everything from the mundane to the extraordinary.