Bolt and Nvidia will teach robots to drive in Liepāja - first exam in Karosta's potholes
While Riga is still trying to understand what autonomous transport is, Liepāja is already preparing for robots that can survive local roads.
Bolt has announced a partnership with Nvidia to develop autonomous vehicles for Europe. But are they ready for the real test — Liepāja's roads in winter?
The company boasts 200 million customers in 850 cities, but it's unclear whether this data includes Liepāja's potholes, which can swallow an entire car. "We will use real driving data from various urban environments," Bolt explains. They probably haven't experienced yet what it means to drive on Liepāja's streets in the middle of winter, when even experienced drivers start praying.
"This will be the real test for our robots," says local taxi driver Jānis. "If a robot can drive from Grīzupe to the center without breaking down, then it's ready for anywhere in the world." But the biggest challenge will be navigating to Karosta prison — not only because the road is complicated, but also because even a robot might get scared by the screaming of tourists echoing through this horror experience location.
While Riga's technology enthusiasts are still discussing theoretical aspects, in Liepāja it's already known — if a robot can survive one winter in our city, it can do anything. Nvidia could save billions by simply sending their algorithms to Liepāja for one week in February.
⚠️ Satirical article. Facts are preserved, but the presentation is humorous. For accurate information, please refer to the original source.