Hackaday’s Link Roundup: April 13, 2025
Autonomous taxis and their occasional mishaps have been a topic of interest lately, with the latest incident involving a Waymo robotaxi getting stuck at a Chick-fil-A drive-through in Santa Monica, California. This happened when the autonomous Jaguar, after dropping off a passenger in the parking lot, tried to navigate the drive-through lane to execute a multi-point turn. However, it ended up blocking the entrance, causing a temporary closure of the restaurant as Waymo worked to resolve the situation.
Drive-through lanes can be tricky even for experienced human drivers, let alone autonomous vehicles. The narrow lanes and tight curve radii often present challenges that inexperienced or non-human drivers may struggle to navigate smoothly. Transitioning from the role of a driver to that of a customer can also lead to errors, especially in high-stress environments like drive-throughs, where delays can trigger frustration and impatience in hungry customers. The lack of human empathy towards a robotaxi stuck in a tight spot highlights the need for programming changes that incorporate real-world driving experiences and social dynamics.
In the realm of space exploration, the private Fram2 mission made headlines by taking an all-civilian crew on the world’s first crewed polar flight. Departing from Florida in a SpaceX Crew Dragon, the four-person crew flew north, entering a retrograde orbit at a 90° inclination, surpassing the previous record set in 1963. The mission achieved several milestones, including the first medical X-rays taken in space and the first amateur radio contacts made from the Dragon.
Returning to Earth, Bill “The Engineer Guy” Hammack shared insights into the engineering marvels of plastic soda bottles in a new video. Despite the seemingly mundane subject matter, Hammack’s exploration of the design brilliance behind creating a durable, pressurized container capable of withstanding bottling plant automation and consumer handling proves fascinating. From the blow-molding process to the evolution of soda bottle designs, the video offers a nostalgic journey through the history of soda packaging.
For those struggling to identify logical fallacies clouding their thinking, a YouTube series titled “Star Trek Logical Reasoning” provides a unique solution. Using clips from the Star Trek animated series, the series illustrates nearly 70 logical fallacies through interactions involving Commander Spock and his less-logical shipmates. While Spock’s logical interventions may lack modern-day tact, the series offers an entertaining and educational approach to clarifying logical reasoning in everyday conversations.