System Design and Mission Assurance at Zoox

At Zoox, safety is more than a priority—it’s foundational to our mission and the core reason we exist: to make road transportation dramatically safer. This commitment is not just a tagline; it’s embedded in every decision we make. Our robotaxi has the most comprehensive set of safety features ever implemented in a vehicle, a testament to our meticulous approach to safety engineering.

But what does that mean in practice? Beyond cutting-edge technology, safety at Zoox involves a coordinated, thoughtful approach by a dedicated team of experts. Some of those experts are with our Systems Design and Mission Assurance (SDMA) team. SDMA ensures that safety is seamlessly interwoven into every aspect of our design, development, and deployment processes. That way, Zoox safely scales its technology while delivering innovative, pragmatic solutions.

SDMA and Safety

SDMA is responsible for validating that all software, hardware, vehicles, and operations are sufficiently safe and ready for autonomous driving deployment. Like detectives, SDMA identifies potential system vulnerabilities and prevents and mitigates risks before they manifest.

“How SDMA is implemented at Zoox is a key differentiator and what positions us as a safety-first company,” explains Qi Hommes, Senior Director, System Design and Mission Assurance. “Safety is not just an add-on—it’s our philosophy and the cornerstone of our strategy.”

From the outset, we have been committed to embedding safety into every layer of our development. Because of their involvement throughout Zoox, SDMA is pivotal in ensuring that our autonomous mobility system meets and exceeds rigorous safety requirements and operational readiness requirements. Their day-to-day work might involve collaborating with multiple teams, defining and evaluating safety metrics, developing system safety design architecture, and implementing detailed safety clearance processes. Safety clearance is when the vehicle's operation within a defined area is approved based on test evidence. 

All safety engineering decisions are data-driven and objective, and all decisions are made after reviewing actual data. Data is gathered through a combination of simulation and real-world testing, such as structured closed-course vehicle tests. This keeps personal subjectivity out of the safety decision-making process.

Safety: A Marathon, Not a Sprint

SDMA will continue to refine its methodologies to keep up with the speed of innovation happening at Zoox without compromising safety rigor. Safety is approached deliberately and methodically, setting us apart from traditional industries where safety design can often be treated as an afterthought and added late in the process. Our exceptionally high safety requirements are supported by data-driven safety cases: structured sets of engineering metrics that form a robust, quantitative framework. This framework ensures that vehicles meet specific benchmarks before being approved for road use. 

While our approach has required time and patience, it reflects our commitment that safety must never be compromised to accelerate timelines. SDMA’s role is critical in balancing these priorities. Our rigorous approach to safety is key to our strategy and growth and we will always maintain a high bar for safety.

What's Next?

Zoox will continue to push the boundaries of innovation while remaining unwavering in our commitment to safety. Our goal is to be confident that it is safe enough– which means the safety targets are multiple times better than human driver safety performance. The SDMA team will continue exploring new techniques, refining processes, and establishing rigorous safety metrics. Safety is not a milestone for us—it’s an ongoing journey we are dedicated to advancing every day.