Only difference is there will be no steering wheel etc. Which could help those with disabilities or even too drunk etc. Google dosent plan to manufacture or even sell but go through partnerships using the tech.
Image of the prototype:
The Google Car is fully electric, big enough for two passengers. It'll only go 25 miles per hour. Your involvement with the car consists of four things: get in, put on your seatbelt, press the Start button, and wait. While you're waiting, maybe check out the large screen in the center console, which shows the temperature and the time remaining in your journey but could easily display just about anything else. Like, say, a Chrome browser for catching up on your Gmail or watching YouTube while you ride.
Google's had trouble finding willing partners for its ambitious automotive project — it's always just hacked sensors and cameras onto existing vehicles, which creates a bunch of visibility and sensory limitations — which may be because what it was asking for was only just shy of insane. Nothing about this car is traditional: it has a front made of compressible foam, a flexible plastic windshield, and a dual-motor system that keeps the car running even if part of its engine fails. It's easy to imagine executives at GM balking at quite literally reinventing the wheel to help Google X with its latest moonshot.
But Google evidently found a willing supplier or two (Brin wouldn't specify) and it made a car that works. One that it will test 100 or so of in California, that it's already seated journalists inside and placed its employees in front of as it puttered around parking lots in Mountain View.
Rules in a few states (including California) now permit self-driving cars so long as there's a driver behind the wheel in case something happens, and other lawmakers around the world are quickly warming to the idea. There are important privacy issues at play here, too, and the extent to which Google might use self-driving cars for its own advertising and data-collection ends remains a big and possibly frightening unknown.
In classic Google fashion, though, Brin talked less about what the Google car could mean for Google and more about how it might change the world. What if we all sold our cars? What if every time we needed a car, we unlocked our smartphones and called for one with a single tap, and as soon as it dropped us off it went off to its next job? We'd need fewer parking lots, reduce our emissions, stop driving drunk, and get in fewer accidents. Those who couldn’t or shouldn’t drive – the blind, the elderly — could still get around. This is the future Brin imagines, one with huge ramifications on everything from the environment to the economy. And the cute little car he's been developing at Google X is the closest thing we've ever seen to making that idea real.
I wonder how well it works with human traffic. I.E. Does it project its next actions well enough for a human driver to adapt? Also, how well is it going to adapt to humans driving around it? Personally, I'm not too keen on a self-driving car for myself (since I really enjoy driving, I even still use manual transmission), but I'll be glad when all of the other idiots on the road will no longer have to drive . I'll be interested to see how this develops.
"When I was a young-un, we used to drive our own cars! Not like this garbage that you have today on the streets, they don't even have a steering wheel anymore" "No way grandpa!" "What is a steering wheel?"
Im greatly anticipating the inclusion of such self driving cars in some large scale project like Masdar City so people can see them working safely and we get them within 10-20 years (Im not too optimistic xD) I wish I dont ever have to buy and drive a car again
On May 29 2014 05:33 urboss wrote: As far as I know, they never had any incidents while testing with the driverless cars.
The feeling must be very strange though. I think I would freak out in such a car, not being able to drive myself.
On the other hand, this is the future! Great that they could convince some states already to change the laws to allow this.
By the way, Elon Musk from Tesla has also announced to start driver-less car production in 2 years.
I've heard there were 2 incidents while they tried their test car (the one you could switch to drive manually):
1. someone rear ended them 2. the driver was in manual mode and had a small accident
I think its really great for commuters but afaik current laws require that a human has to be able to take control of the vehicle in case of an emergency. But i guess google has the means to do some lobby work.
In the 80's there was a very similar project but far more advanced. I've seen serveral motion pictures of the car and its abilities. It was based on a Pontiac Firebird and it drove with or without a driver, thus its cockpit was a little different compared to the google car + Show Spoiler +
The best part about it, it does not have this ugly sensor on its roof. + Show Spoiler +
dunno how the project developed, thought.
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I would totally sell my car and would like to have a 1 year pass or even lifetime pass to access all the google cars (self driving cars) all over world. The cost of a 1 year license would probably be 30 to 50% off of the costs to maintain a car by yourself nowadays. I would take it.
Something like this could revolutionize public transportation. Being able to use a google app on your phone to summon the nearest one then it could take you to a pre-selected destination or you could just tell it where like a cab.
Buses, and van versions, in combination with solar roadways... Man I would love to see google do one of those future world type things like Disney did back in the 50's
Would never get in something like that. And that i believe is the reason why it fails. People are ok with having things done by a machine just as long as there is someone human controlling the machine. Also how can a car drive itself? say someone trows themself one the road literally in front of it. Even if it goes around 40 km, what does it do, does it run him over? veer to the left or right? I' m assuming it would never take the wrong turn either, since its a machine, but what if halfway going somewhere you forgot something back where you came from. How does it turn around? on an open road for traffic. Edit someone human
I think my trust of a self-driving car would only extend so far.
I would manually pilot the car: - Short trips. - Parking lots - drive-thru's - snow days - Mountainous roads(I don't exactly trust a car when it's a 300+ft cliff if something goes wrong).
Most other scenarios I'd be fine with the self-driving car, but I wouldn't buy it if it didn't have a steering wheel and pedals.
The Google Car is fully electric, big enough for two passengers. It'll only go 25 miles per hour. Your involvement with the car consists of four things: get in, put on your seatbelt, press the Start button, and wait.
On May 29 2014 06:30 Amui wrote: I think my trust of a self-driving car would only extend so far.
I would manually pilot the car: - Short trips. - Parking lots - drive-thru's - snow days - Mountainous roads(I don't exactly trust a car when it's a 300+ft cliff if something goes wrong).
Most other scenarios I'd be fine with the self-driving car, but I wouldn't buy it if it didn't have a steering wheel and pedals.
You will never buy a such car, you will use an on-demand service.
The only thing i am wondering for self-driving cars is how they will pilot themself on non-asphalt roads.
On May 29 2014 06:30 Amui wrote: I think my trust of a self-driving car would only extend so far.
I would manually pilot the car: - Short trips. - Parking lots - drive-thru's - snow days - Mountainous roads(I don't exactly trust a car when it's a 300+ft cliff if something goes wrong).
Most other scenarios I'd be fine with the self-driving car, but I wouldn't buy it if it didn't have a steering wheel and pedals.
You will never buy a such car, you will use an on-demand service.
The only thing i am wondering for self-driving cars is how they will pilot themself on non-asphalt roads.
I was thinking more about snow. heavy rain and heavy fog. California isn't exactly ideal for bad conditions to test out the cars sensor array, plus i'd wonder if the car is smart enough to know when it's been hobbled(damage to car in one way or another) and is unable to perform driving safely.