“While our vehicle was stopped to pick up passengers, a nearby cat darted under our vehicle as it was pulling away”
I mean, it sucks, but it could've happened with a human driver as well... and likely has happened.
I have rode in a Waymo and it shows you all the things it detects on a screen... which includes humans and small animals. It's not a perfect machine, but it probably is a better driver than a lot of people already and it's learning every day.
I suppose this incident could get Waymo to put cameras/sensors beneath the car... something that regular car makers won't think about.
But yeah, it should've detected the cat beforehand and waited for it to leave before driving off. Then again, the human passengers didn't see it either.
I meant that the Waymo didn't see it, neither did the passengers, so the cat could've been difficult to detect.