Image Source: Google Images – Google Self-Driven Car.
Imagine a car in which you have to do nothing apart from tell it where you want to go and the car would do the rest. Well thanks to Google, its self-driven car is ready to hit the roads. The first ever fully functional, automatic car is expected to be seen on the roads of California this year.
On the 22nd of December 2014, Google published: “Today we are unwrapping the best holiday gift we could have imagined: the first real build of our self-driving vehicle prototype.”
Earlier in 2014, when they revealed the first prototype, Sergey Brin (co-founder of the self-driven car) said, “The main reason we wanted to develop this prototype vehicle is that we can do better job than we can do with an existing vehicle.”
Image Source: Google Images – Google introducing the car in Russia.
When it comes to design, Google said it was the best they could come up with because in their previous prototype, the vehicle did not even have real headlights.
“Since then, we have been working on different prototypes of prototypes, each designed to test different systems of a self-driving car – for example, the typical ‘car’ parts like steering and braking, as well as the self driving parts, like the computer and sensors. However, we have now put all those systems together in this fully functional vehicle – our first complete prototype for fully autonomous driving,” as stated on Google’s official blog.
Before coming up with their own prototype, Google’s self-driven technology was being tested on several different cars but primarily on the famous two: the Toyota Prius and Lexus SUVs.
Image Source: Google Images – Lexus SUVs installed with Self Driven technology.
However, Google is not the only ball player in the game… Tesla, Ford, Nissan and Toyota are all making a run at it as well. Ford made one in March of 2014 but still has a lot to cover before it’s a fully functional self-driven car.
Furthermore, the first 100 prototypes will not have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal or a brake pedal because these cars do not need them as the software does everything for them.
All that is now left is for Google to do a bit more testing in California, a few more software upgrades and the vehicle will be ready to hit the market.
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Source:
http://www.google.com/about/careers/lifeatgoogle/self-driving-car-test-steve-mahan.html
http://mashable.com/2014/12/23/google-first-real-build/
https://plus.google.com/+GoogleSelfDrivingCars/posts/9WBWP2E4GDu
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/just-press-go-designing-self-driving.html
Mercedes Benz also made a self driven semi truck and car. Personally, I hate the idea of them.
I think they are nifty for sleeping in the backseat while it safely drives you home after the bar.
The delivery & cab drivers are hot targets for extinction now. I’m guessing some cities and states will ban them as long as they can.
Am I the only one who thinks these cars are going to get picked on & bullied out there on the road? I can see people putting them to the test, because their nerdy and can’t defend themselves.
Sort of like the Wide World of Drone Hunting. Shoot any passing/hovering drones for sport. I wonder if anyone would ever pay a ransom for its safe return, that’s less than half the value of the drone.? Haha
Self Driving mechanical self-transforming elves.
Hyper space now.
These cars are going to get picked on and abused wherever they go. Expeccially some parts of town where it may be used for target practice. It can’t defend itself, especially a group a bored teens. Shooting at passing drones for sport is a growing outdoor sport. Ha!
And one good EMP burst and all these new, self-driving cars will be crashed on the highways!
Just waiting on a computer freeze.
yes now i only have to buy one of thoose cars and then i can do whatever i want in it i can code shit i can jerk off i can do evrything and i can have sex with evryone in the car just endless fantasy soon it will come car porn
Anonymous how can I be part of you
So who will be responsible when a pedestrian is killed or when it speeds through a school zone and smashes a few children. Will I be charged with DUI after inhaling vehicle pollution and allowing this thing to carry my burnt up azz home?