Google has spent a lot of time and effort on in-car tech recently, not least with the Open Auto Allience – a project that aims to bring Android into all cars – but the search giant has also been working
on its very own range of autonomous vehicles for some time. This week, Google finally showed off some videos of the car itself in action, and there’s something spookily cool about seeing a car drive itself!
on its very own range of autonomous vehicles for some time. This week, Google finally showed off some videos of the car itself in action, and there’s something spookily cool about seeing a car drive itself!
Self-driving cars are the holy grail
in the automotive world, with the potential to cut out human mistakes and accidents, and saving over a billion lives every year. It’s not just about safety though; imagine a car where you could just put your feet up on the way to work, have a coffee to help you wake up and catch up on the latest news while you travel, all without having to worry about what’s going on around you.
in the automotive world, with the potential to cut out human mistakes and accidents, and saving over a billion lives every year. It’s not just about safety though; imagine a car where you could just put your feet up on the way to work, have a coffee to help you wake up and catch up on the latest news while you travel, all without having to worry about what’s going on around you.
That concept has marched one step closer with Google’s own self-driving car, and thanks to various sensors and strips on the front, it looks like a bizarre cross between a Smart car and a koala bear!
closer with Google’s own self-driving car, and thanks to various sensors and strips on the front, it looks like a bizarre cross between a Smart car and a koala bear!
The friendly looking car from Google can indeed drive itself though, with tons of leg room and no sign of a steering wheel to spoil the view. That said, when more advancedprototypes do hit the roads, Google has promised that they’ll feature traditional driving controls as well, just in case…
of a steering wheel to spoil the view. That said, when more advancedprototypes do hit the roads, Google has promised that they’ll feature traditional driving controls as well, just in case…
Google’s autonomous car has been developed by the skunkworks part of the search giant, known as Google X, which is headed by company co-founder Sergey Brin, and works on exciting new and innovative projects, such as a smart contact lens and even real robots.
projects, such as a smart contact lens and even real robots.
It’s not the first time that Google has worked on driverless tech, but previously the company spent its time kitting out cars belonging to other manufacturers, so a complete car that can drive itself is a massive step up for Google. That said, using regular, off-the-shelf parts, Google’s own car remains very much a realistic dream.
spent its time kitting out cars belonging to other manufacturers, so a complete car that can drive itself is a massive step up for Google. That said, using regular, off-the-shelf parts, Google’s own car remains very much a realistic dream.
The next step for the autonomous Google car will see 100 prototypes being tested over the summer, with a pilot project in California to see how the vehicles manage to get on in the wild.
step for the autonomous Google car will see 100 prototypes being tested over the summer, with a pilot project in California to see how the vehicles manage to get on in the wild.
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