Ironman273 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Google designs new self-driving vehicles that lose the steering wheel and pedalsBY RICHARD LAWLER MAY 27TH 2014 Google has been tweaking its self-driving car project for years, but now it's taking another big step. Later this summer it will start testing prototype vehicles it's designed from the ground up, instead of merely retrofitting existing vehicles. Announced tonight the the Code Conference, the new prototypes aren't equipped with a steering wheel, mirrors, pedals or other vestiges of vehicles gone by, and for now are limited to a maximum speed of 25MPH. As explained in an early preview to Re/code, the car is driven entirely by computer, with backup automated systems for brakes and steering that would take over in case of a failure of the primary setup. So far, Google says it's not planning to sell the vehicles itself, but is looking for "friends and partners to bring them to market. Following rumors from late last year, the automated cars could partner with a "friend" like Uber for a delivery service that runs on autopilot. Take a peek at test drives and demo videos explaining how the cars work after the break. The prototypes shown have a rounded, cartoonish appearance, and Google says they're built with foam and flexible windshields that reduce the chance for injury if they do collide with anything. Before they hit the road entirely sans-drive though, Google will need to address regulations requiring a test driver inside. It expects new legislation will allow for the fully-automated vehicles soon, which we guess is bound to be better than the texting, eating or napping drivers we currently share our commutes with. Source: Engadget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan~ Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Dangerous, how can you avoid an accident or pull over for emergency vehicles, crazy idea Hum and Charisma 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc2k Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Dangerous, how can you avoid an accident or pull over for emergency vehicles, crazy idea Might be a problem if all the forward lanes are blocked by an accident, until somebody installs signs at any rate. As for emergency vehicles, they probably have special profiles like the cyclists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcfan Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 and when the sensors fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted May 28, 2014 Veteran Share Posted May 28, 2014 they already have these cars driving around their campuses taking employees to different buildings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phouchg Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 No. As long as we keep going backwards in cavemen phase of software engineering, no software can be trusted and there must be manual override. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Great suicide machine. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 I think there needs to be some sort of manual control. Also, they couldn't have made it look better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 25 mph? I hope it's comfortable because it's gonna be a long ride Hum 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Overlord Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 25 mph? I hope it's comfortable because it's gonna be a long ride it's a google design, it'll keep stopping for every advert it sees :p Tomo 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charisma Veteran Posted May 31, 2014 Veteran Share Posted May 31, 2014 In the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson, "What could possibly go wrong?" :P I like the idea and that they are innovating. I'm eager to see where this going, but I don't even like to be a zero-day, early adopter of new devices or OS's due to bugs, glitches, annoyances, exploitation... much less something that could potentially kill me. I'll just make some popcorn, take a seat, and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blerk Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 You'll probably see them in larger numbers on dedicated lanes like HOV lanes first when on public roadways. They'll then next migrate to the cities like London and Paris with congestion zones and (proposed) low speed zones (I believe Paris wants the entire area around the Seine restricted to 20mph). I bet actually having a ride in one of these cars in a major city will be quite frustrating. Cyclists and pedestrians will have the upper hand when it comes to rights and the car's safety programming, so I can imagine that it will be a very jerky stop-start mode of travel, as I bet these cars will have a very large (initially excessively large) safety zone to 'protect' cyclists/pedestrians/etc when these cars are driving in the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 25 mph? I hope it's comfortable because it's gonna be a long ride I think skateboarders go faster. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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