Google is making huge progress in auto-mobile industry, not long ago ‘Google’ announced its bubble-type vehicle prototype, after an year of waiting it is finally complete and it is recently reported that Google’s own self-driving cars are ready to be tested on public roads.
Google project director Chris Urmson says, “A few of the prototype vehicles will drive around Mountain View, California, where the company is based.” Looks like they are keeping it in the house for now. Also, safety drivers will go along with cars, which will be capped at 25mph. Unlike Google’s ultimate vision for the vehicles, these cars will come with a removable steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal.
As for the software, it will be same as Google’s self-driving ‘Lexus RX450h fleet’, which formed the basis of the company’s research before it announced an entirely original car. Google says that the fleet has logged almost a million miles on the road, or what Urmson characterizes as “about 75 years of typical American adult driving experience.” Google is keen to reinforce the amount of testing it’s already performed and it has been driving 10,000 miles on their own each week.
Project director Chris Urmson further states, “We’re looking forward to learning how the community perceives and interacts with the vehicles, and to uncovering challenges that are unique to a fully self-driving vehicle — e.g. where it should stop if it can’t stop at its exact destination due to construction or congestion. In the coming years, we’d like to run small pilot programs with our prototypes to learn what people would like to do with vehicles like this.”
A week ago a report came that Google’s self-driving cars have been involved in 11 car accidents so far although the company claims that its vehicles weren’t at fault in any instance. I will still wait for proper user experience before putting my money on it.