For more than a decade, one question has loomed over the race to build autonomous vehicles: Are cameras alone enough to safely replace human drivers, or do truly driverless cars need additional, overlapping sensors like lidar and radar to navigate the world reliably? Tesla has bet billions of dollars that artificial intelligence and cameras are sufficient. Nearly every other major autonomous vehicle developer has gone the opposite direction.
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The robotaxi law that could ban Tesla
Until now, that argument has largely been left to executives and engineers. New Jersey lawmakers are trying to settle it in state law.
A bill expected to come up for a vote later this year would require companies seeking to operate fully autonomous vehicles in New Jersey to use cameras plus two other sensing technologies, most commonly lidar and radar. If enacted, New Jersey would be the first state to codify such a hardware mandate into law, moving ahead of a nearly identical proposal currently pending action in neighboring New York. The measure would also effectively prevent Tesla’s camera-only Robotaxi system from operating in New Jersey unless the company changed its hardware.
”This is not anti-Tesla,” Democratic state Sen. Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor, told The Verge. “I’m pro-New Jersey safety.”
Zwicker, a physicist who works at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (New Jersey doesn’t restrict legislators from outside jobs), said after riding in a Waymo robotaxi in Phoenix he became convinced autonomous vehicles could transform transportation.
”I was amazed how quickly you get used to it,” he said.
The technology, he argues, could dramatically expand mobility, reduce traffic deaths, and make transportation more accessible. But he believes the technology should roll out cautiously in the nation’s most densely populated state.
”At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can,” Zwicker said. “Can we get there? Maybe. But we’re not there yet.”
The proposal would establish a three-year pilot program governing the testing and deployment of fully autonomous vehicles in New Jersey. Companies would have to use multiple sensing technologies, report certain crashes, and receive state authorization before operating fully driverless commercial services. They would also have to complete at least 50,000 miles of supervised testing in New Jersey without a major incident before removing the human safety driver.
While state battles over autonomous vehicles have largely centered on safety performance, oversight, and potential job losses, New Jersey is attempting something different: legislating how the vehicles themselves should be built.
“At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can.”
— New Jersey state Sen. Andrew Zwicker
The sensor requirement is by far the bill’s most consequential provision and it would have repercussions beyond Tesla. Elon Musk has long argued that cameras paired with increasingly capable artificial intelligence are the best and most cost effective way to operate autonomous vehicles. Humans navigate the world using vision alone, Musk has said, so sufficiently advanced AI should eventually be able to do the same. Eliminating lidar and radar also dramatically lowers hardware costs, making it easier to build robotaxis cheaply enough to deploy at massive scale.
Musk has even argued that adding more sensors can reduce safety by forcing software to reconcile conflicting information.
”Lidar and radar reduce safety due to sensor contention. If lidars/radars disagree with cameras, which one wins?” he wrote on X last year. “We turned off the radars in Teslas to increase safety. Cameras ftw.”
Most of the rest of the autonomous vehicle industry disagrees. Companies including Waymo and Zoox combine cameras with lidar and radar, arguing that each sensing technology has different strengths and weaknesses. Cameras capture rich visual detail, allowing vehicles to recognize colors, traffic signs, lane markings, and pedestrians, but they can struggle in poor weather, darkness, or glare. Radar performs better in rain and fog and excels at measuring the distance and relative speed of nearby objects. Lidar uses lasers to create detailed three-dimensional maps of a vehicle’s surroundings, making it particularly effective at determining the shape and distance of nearby objects.
Rather than relying on a single sensor, those companies combine the strengths of all three, arguing that redundancy makes autonomous driving safer. Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon electrical and computer engineering professor and autonomous vehicle safety expert, said camera-only systems may eventually become capable enough for fully autonomous driving. But he doesn’t believe they are today.
As Koopman put it, “eyeballs are better than cameras for many reasons” and “human brains are fundamentally more powerful than AI because we understand.” While there are situations where Koopman said camera-only works just fine — clear weather, favorable lighting, and less complex roads — he believes it’s not ready for broad consumer use.
“To run 24/7 across the majority of public roads in New Jersey today, it needs lidar,” he said. “It’s pretty clear that today camera-only technology is not up to the challenge.”
Koopman supports the New Jersey proposal but said he would prefer even stronger safeguards, such as requiring conventional driving controls like steering wheels and pedals so first responders could move disabled vehicles (so no Cybercabs, which don’t have either), and limits on how many AVs can be on the road during the pilot (a potential provision Zwicker said he’s considering).
“It’s pretty clear that today camera-only technology is not up to the challenge.”
— AV expert Philip Koopman
“The difference between 100 cars and 10,000 cars is night and day,” Koopman said. When the scale is small, “There’s just not enough cars for that much weird stuff to happen to them.” He pointed to Waymo, which now operates more than 3,500 commercial robotaxis across 11 US metro areas.
”They never used to have problems with floodwaters and school buses — not because they could do floodwaters and school buses,” Koopman said. “But with 100 cars it just doesn’t happen that often.”
Despite a lot of fanfare, Tesla currently only has a handful of unsupervised Robotaxis on the road, mostly in Texas, according to data from Robotaxi Tracker, suggesting it hasn’t been as easy to scale the camera-only approach as Musk had previously promised. Last year he predicted that Tesla would have hundreds of thousands of fully self-driving Teslas operating by the end of 2026. (Tesla did not respond to requests for comment for this article.)
Many of the bill’s provisions mirror recommendations from SAVE-US, a nonprofit that advocates for stricter autonomous vehicle regulation. Physicist and SAVE-US national campaign director Shua Sanchez said the group formed because Congress has failed to establish national rules while autonomous vehicle companies have expanded into states with dramatically different levels of oversight.
“California has the best safety regulations in the country,” he said. “Texas, Arizona, and Georgia have almost no state oversight.”
Among the organization’s priorities is requiring redundant sensing systems.
“We don’t have a problem with Tesla as a company,” Sanchez said. “We have a problem with camera-only autonomous vehicles.”
Nearly every major stakeholder has sought changes to the bill. Waymo successfully pushed to remove a requirement that safety drivers remain in vehicles throughout the pilot, and Uber argued the state should continue requiring human drivers for most rides, according to Zwicker.
Tesla has been lobbying against the legislation in New Jersey, according to Zwicker, who said company representatives met with lawmakers to argue that advances in artificial intelligence make additional sensor types unnecessary. Zwicker said that while the tech has gotten better, “I’m not convinced yet that they’re ready to go.”
The debate has spilled beyond the state House.
“As written, the legislation imposes restrictions so severely that Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology couldn’t legally operate in New Jersey,” read a Tesla missive to New Jersey Tesla owners encouraging them to contact lawmakers. “Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market.”
Zwicker said his office received roughly 4,000 emails within a day. “The messaging wasn’t about the details of the bill,” he said. “It was that Zwicker is trying to take away your Autopilot.”
“Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market.”
— A Tesla message to NJ owners
Zwicker rejects that characterization. The legislation applies only to fully autonomous vehicles operating under the proposed state pilot program — not driver-assistance systems that require a licensed human driver to remain behind the wheel.
The fight in New Jersey reflects a broader vacuum in autonomous vehicle regulation. Congress has debated national autonomous vehicle legislation for years without passing a comprehensive framework, leaving states to develop their own rules as commercial robotaxi services expand. Robotaxi services already operate in states including California, Texas, Arizona, and Georgia under dramatically different regulatory systems. While California requires extensive testing permits and public reporting, it doesn’t specify which tech the AVs need to get there. Texas has adopted a far lighter-touch approach, which lets automakers self-certify that their autonomous vehicles are ready for the road.
New Jersey’s bill raises the possibility that AV tech there could differ from that of other states. Zwicker says that isn’t his concern.
“The technology doesn’t exist in the Northeast at all,” he said. “The goal is to start now, do it safely, and build public trust.”
Sanchez sees the sensor requirement as a common-sense safeguard rather than a restriction on innovation.
“There are absolutely brilliant people working at Tesla trying to make camera-only autonomy work,” he said. “But they’re trying to do it with one arm tied behind their back.”
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Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield had been seeking documents from Paramount related to its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Rayfield also asked a state circuit court judge to delay the closing of the deal by 60 days so that his office could review the documents. But according to Deadline and Variety, he’s now dropped his civil investigative demand for the records.
Obviously, Paramount is pleased with Rayfield’s decision to withdraw his request, but the AG’s office isn’t exactly satisfied with the outcome.
Jenny Hansson, communications director for Rayfield, told Deadline that, “Paramount made it clear that they weren’t going to comply with the investigative demand, and that they think they’re above the law. We’re not going to let them waste Oregonians’ resources on these games. We’ve withdrawn the motion to consider our next steps.”
Rayfield specifically was interested in documents relating to Paramount’s lobbying efforts, which were codenamed “Project Warrior.” Paramount is run by David and Larry Ellison, major supporters of Donald Trump who enjoy a cozy relationship with the White House. The President went out of his way during the proceeding to say that Netflix, Paramount’s primary rival for Warner Bros. Discovery, would “pay the consequences” if it didn’t remove Trump critic Susan Rice from its board.
While Oregon’s efforts to stop the merger have stalled, others, including California, New York, and even the UK, are considering moves to block the deal on antitrust grounds. Hollywood has also spoken out in opposition to the merger.
Empty Waymo vehicles swarm Atlanta neighborhood
Atlanta residents captured alarming video of dozens of Waymo driverless cars continually circling their quiet neighborhood for hours. Tech expert Kurt Knutsson warns this ‘AI takeover’ raises significant safety concerns, especially for children, highlighting a critical lack of human intervention and company accountability from Waymo regarding these autonomous vehicles and potential glitches.
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You may already be used to seeing empty robotaxis cruising through city streets. No driver. No passenger. Just a car rolling along as if it has somewhere important to be. Sometimes it does. It may be heading to pick someone up. Other times, it may be driving back to a faraway depot to get cleaned, charged or checked before the next ride. That empty driving has a name: deadhead miles. In other words, the car is using time, power and road space without carrying a paying rider.
Now a Redwood City, California, startup called Aseon Labs wants to bring the depot closer to the robotaxi. The company is building parking-space-sized robotic service pods that can clean, charge, inspect and reset driverless cars closer to where riders actually need them. Aseon calls them modular “reset pods.” But if these boxes start showing up near parking lots, gas stations or busy streets, plenty of people may see them another way: as robotaxi pit stops in a box.
The idea could help cut wasted miles and keep driverless cars moving. However, it also raises a very interesting debate for cities and neighborhoods: where exactly do you put these big boxes?
ZOOX ROBOTAXI REDESIGN BRINGS BIG RIDER UPGRADES
The system could help robotaxi fleets spend less time driving empty, but these big boxes may still spark debate over curb space. (Aseon Labs)
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What are robotaxi pit stops?
Aseon Labs describes its system as a “depot in a box” for self-driving cars. Instead of sending robotaxis back to large centralized depots outside busy areas, the company wants to place smaller automated pods closer to where riders actually need cars. These pods are roughly the size of a parking space. They are designed to inspect vehicles, clean interiors and charge robotaxis between rides. Aseon also says the pods can handle vehicle reset operations, data synchronization, recalibration and lost-and-found handling.
Think of one as a mini service station for driverless fleets. A robotaxi pulls in, the pod checks the vehicle and gets it ready to go back out. That could make a huge difference for robotaxi companies. A car sitting at a depot is not earning money. A car driving empty across town is also not earning money.
Why robotaxi pit stops could cut empty miles
Robotaxi companies face a tough math problem. The vehicles need to stay on the road when demand is high. Yet every car still needs cleaning, charging and inspection. Right now, much of that work happens at depots. Those depots often sit outside dense city centers because real estate costs less there.
Aseon says fleets may travel 10 to 15 miles each way to reach centralized depots. That can turn a routine reset into a long, empty trip at the exact time a vehicle could be picking up another rider. The company’s goal is to place service pods within roughly one mile of where robotaxis operate. If that works, Aseon says servicing could be up to 15 times closer to the areas where riders are waiting.
How Aseon Labs robotaxi pit stops would work
Aseon’s pods use cameras to inspect robotaxis. Robotic arms clean the interior of the vehicle and retrieve lost items from the cabin. The company also wants the pods to be moveable. That part is important. If one location performs poorly, Aseon could relocate the unit instead of being stuck with a permanent facility.
Aseon says each reset pod is designed to fit within a single parking space and requires no permanent construction. The company also says the pods can be delivered by flatbed truck and become operational within 24 hours. Early versions are expected to have staff nearby. Over time, the company wants the system to operate more autonomously.
The pods could connect to existing power sources through partnerships with EV charging companies. They could also use mobile power, including a propane generator, depending on the location. Aseon says the pods can also integrate with existing DC fast-charging networks, which could help charging operators get more use out of underused stations.
That flexibility may help with rollout. Still, it also opens the door to questions from neighbors, city planners and business owners.
Why robotaxi pit stops could face pushback
If these robotaxi pit stops start showing up across U.S. cities, plenty of people will notice them. You could walk past one on your way to a coffee shop and wonder what it is doing there. Is it a charging station? Is it recording anything? Is it blocking parking? Is it taking up curb space that delivery drivers, cyclists or nearby businesses already fight over?
Those questions are important. City curb space has become some of the most contested space in transportation today. Ride-hailing pickups, delivery trucks, bike lanes, outdoor dining, EV chargers and public transit all compete for the same streets.
Now imagine adding automated robotaxi service boxes to that mix. Even if the pods help reduce empty driving, cities will still need to decide where they belong. A parking lot may make more sense than a residential block. A commercial corridor may work better than a narrow street. In some places, the answer may be no.
Robotaxi pit stops could test city rules
Aseon’s pods are considered temporary structures, according to the company’s plan. That could help avoid a long permitting process and make the units easier to move. However, “temporary” does not mean invisible. If a pod takes up a parking space for weeks or months, neighbors may not care whether it can be moved later. They will care about the space it occupies today.
WAYMO RECALLS ROBOTAXIS OVER CONSTRUCTION-ZONE RISK
Inside the pod, robotic arms and charging equipment are designed to service autonomous vehicles closer to busy pickup areas. (Aseon Labs)
Local governments will likely have to weigh the trade-offs. A pod may reduce empty robotaxi trips, which could lower congestion from cars heading back to remote depots. On the other hand, the pod itself becomes a new piece of street infrastructure. That means cities may need rules around placement, noise, power use, appearance and how close these units can sit to homes or storefronts.
What happens when a robot cannot clean the mess?
One smart part of Aseon’s plan is that the pod will not try to solve every problem. The company says its system can use computer vision and AI to detect issues that should go to a human instead. For example, if a camera spots melted chocolate on a seat, the robotic arm may avoid cleaning it because the wrong move could make the stain worse.
At that point, the vehicle could head to a central depot for a person to handle it. That is a good reminder of where this technology stands. Robotaxis may be driverless, but the operation behind them still depends on human judgment.
Aseon Labs robotaxi pit stops are still early
Aseon Labs has raised $10 million in seed funding and plans to build five prototypes. So, this is still an early-stage rollout, not something already popping up in cities across the country. The company has not publicly named signed robotaxi customers yet. However, Aseon says it is talking with autonomous vehicle operators, EV charging network providers and commercial real estate partners. It also says early pilot deployments are starting to take shape.
The business model is also important. Aseon does not plan to simply sell these pods and walk away. Instead, robotaxi companies would use the pods as needed, while Aseon handles deployment, maintenance and daily operation. That could make it easier for robotaxi companies to add service points without building full depots across a city.
For now, these boxes are not suddenly appearing on every corner tomorrow. Still, Aseon’s vision is much bigger than a few test units. The company wants thousands of reset pods across major cities, close enough to keep robotaxis moving without sending them back to distant depots.
What this means to you
If robotaxi services expand in your area, you may not only see more driverless cars. You may also see the support system that keeps them running. That could mean automated pods near shopping centers, transit hubs, parking lots or busy pickup zones.
For riders, this could mean cleaner cars and shorter wait times. For cities, it could mean fewer empty trips back to distant depots.
However, for residents, the trade-off may feel different. You may ask why a robotaxi company gets curb space when parking is already tight. You may also want clear answers about cameras, noise and how long each pod stays in one spot.
Kurt’s key takeaways
I can see why robotaxi companies would love this idea. If a driverless car can get cleaned and charged closer to riders, it wastes less time driving empty across town. However, I can also see the pushback coming fast. You know how hard it can be to find parking in a busy city. Now picture a big automated service box taking up space near your home, office or favorite restaurant. That does not mean the idea is bad. It means cities need to be careful before handing over valuable public space to robotaxi infrastructure. Aseon says its reset pods could cut costs, reduce downtime and keep driverless cars closer to where riders need them. That’s all great, but the big question is still who decides where these boxes go?
Aseon’s robotaxi pit stop concept shows how a driverless car could pull into a parking-space-sized pod for charging, cleaning and inspection. (Aseon Labs)
Would you be OK with a robotaxi pit stop on your block if it helped cut down on empty driverless cars cruising through your city? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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After setting the music gear corner of the internet on fire back in 2023 with the first glimpse at the Nopia, creators Martin Grieco and Rocío Gal are almost ready to bring it to market. The duo brought it to the MusicRadar offices for an in-depth first look and revealed that it will be launching in “a couple of months” for around £550.
Nopia is built around harmonic interplay in a unique way. Rather than a few knobs and a keyboard controlling a single synth patch, it blends multiple modules — keys, bass, arp, and pad — into a single performance, not unlike a drumless groovebox. There’s a one-octave keyboard called the Chord Builder, a 12-button Tonal Selector, and an Extensions Dial that dictate the key and voicing of the chords. The idea is to let you play complex harmonies with just a finger or two.
Additional performance features include a strum plate in the top-right corner for plucking specific notes from a chord and a slider for full chord pitch bends.
In addition to the virtual analog and sample-based synth engines, there are basic effects like delay, reverb, tape emulation, and beat repeat, as well as a ton of connectivity options, including per-module MIDI output for controlling other instruments with Nopia’s harmonic engine.
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