In August 2019, Futurism reporter Dan Robitzski rode an Optimus Ride shuttle on private streets at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The vehicle steered itself along a mapped route and responded to a cyclist, but this was a supervised launch-event demonstration—not a test of driverless service on ordinary New York City streets.
What happened on the 2019 ride?
Optimus Ride presented the shuttle at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where the company described it as New York City’s first public autonomous vehicles. That “first” refers to the debut described in Futurism’s August 7, 2019 account; it does not mean New York City had never hosted an autonomous-vehicle test or demonstration before. The ride took place on the Navy Yard’s private streets.
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The demonstration shuttle carried four passengers, with two engineers in the front row. One watched the road; the other monitored a laptop displaying what the vehicle was about to do. The route was mapped and destinations were programmed in advance. Futurism’s reporter described the ride as shaky but said it felt safe to him.
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Did the shuttle actually drive itself?
It handled some driving on the prepared route, but people remained actively involved. Robitzski reported seeing the shuttle slow and swerve around a cyclist while staying in its lane. That is a firsthand observation from one short event ride, not a formal safety test or evidence of how the vehicle would perform across other streets and conditions.
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- Little hands eager to explore can turn the steering wheel and press colorful buttons to discover animals, vehicles and sounds with over 60 songs and phrases
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- Honk the horn to introduce road safety with red, yellow, and green lights; perfect for teaching simple concepts like opposites and directions
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- Intended for ages 6-36 months; requires 2 AA batteries; batteries included for demo purposes only; new batteries recommended for regular use
Human operators took over for maneuvers the vehicle did not perform during the demonstration: a driver executed a three-point turn with another person outside guiding the maneuver, and the driver later took the wheel to park. Engineers said operators would remain onboard for the foreseeable future. The route’s prior mapping and the presence of operators are important limits: the ride did not establish that the shuttle could navigate New York City streets generally or operate without supervision.
What technology did Optimus Ride describe?
At the event, Optimus Ride vice president of engineering Ruijie He said the company combined visual recordings with LIDAR into one data stream to give the shuttle more detailed information about its surroundings. The article also described software displaying recognized objects and changing confidence values. Those details report what the company and reporter presented at the event; they do not establish recognition accuracy, safety performance, or an independently verified account of the system’s architecture.
Rank #2
- Package: 1 Piece x Steering Wheel Toy (batteries are required but not included). Color: Yellow
- The electronic steering wheel helps your kids pass the time by joining the driving fun, with a horn, car sirens, police buttons, left signal, and a key dial.
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Head of Product Stephanie Wu described deployment as gradual: “It’s gonna be incremental,” she told the reporter. “There’s a lot of human complexity.” On the three-point turn, she said: “There’s no fundamental reason we can’t do a three-point turn,” Wu explained, “We’re just not right now.” Both comments were made in the context of the 2019 launch demonstration.
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The 2019 ride was a private-site demonstration, distinct from autonomous-vehicle testing on city streets. NYC DOT says street testing is overseen through a city permit program, and New York State law requires an operator to be present and ready to take control while autonomous-vehicle technology is operating. The city’s March 2024 program announcement likewise described a trained safety driver behind the wheel and ready to take control.
Rank #3
- Simulated Driving Function: The steering wheel toy has Simulated Gear, Simulated Turn Lights, Simulated Wing Mirrors. Children can learn driving through playing, and know the basic structure of the steering wheel, it benefits for learning driving in future.
- Comes with Cyclic Rotary Scene: The toy equips with the rolling screen, toddlers can control the car in the picture by using the steering wheel and let the car drive along the road. It simulates the actual traffic condition and will exercise toddler’s reflex.
- Music and Alarming Sound: The kids driving toy has 3 music, press the music key to play music, press it again to stop music. And it has 3 Alarming Sound too, Fire Truck, Ambulance and Police Car simulated alarm. It will provide more joy to kids.
- Simulated Megaphone & Horn: Toddler can simulate the driver and pick up the speaker and press the key for talking something. And toddler can press the horn on the steering wheel to send out the honking sound.
- First Driving Steering Wheel for Toddler: This toy is truly magical and will keep a child ( 12+ months ) entertained. High-quality ABS plastic Eco-friendly materials, cute appearance, it is the best Birthday and Christmas present for children.
Permit status and city requirements can change. NYC DOT’s permit page showed Waymo’s permit active through March 31, 2026 when reviewed; that date is not a statement of its status now. Consult the NYC DOT autonomous vehicle testing page for current program details and permits, and the Mayor’s Office announcement for the March 2024 program description.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the ride did—and did not—show
- It showed: a supervised shuttle could travel a mapped private-road route and, during this ride, respond to a cyclist.
- It did not show: that the shuttle could handle unrestricted city traffic, perform every maneuver autonomously, or operate without a human operator.
- It was not: an independent safety evaluation or a current offer of a public, bookable shuttle service.
Futurism’s report is the source for the ride observations and launch-event quotations. AV America’s archive independently confirms the article’s date and summary, but does not add independent performance evidence. Read the original Futurism account and AV America’s archive entry.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Drive into the action-packed Go! Go! Smart Wheels Dueling Spinning Spirals Raceway where speed meets spirals for electrifying fun
- Three crash zones make for daring near-misses and epic crashes, keeping little ones on the edge of their seat while exploring gravity-fed play
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- Intended for ages 1.5+ years, requires 2 AAA batteries; batteries included for demo purposes only; new batteries recommended for regular use
Rank #4
- SUITABLE FOR AGES 18+ MONTHS. 3x AA batteries required
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