Google unveils driverless car

Google has unveiled its first fully designed self-driving prototype, a two-seater vehicle that eliminates the steering wheel, accelerator, brake pedal, mirrors and glove compartment. The car is unable to travel faster than 25 mph, while software and sensors are designed to help the vehicle steer clear of accidents. Passengers simply input their destination and push a single button. "The project is about changing the world for people who are not well-served by transportation today," said Google co-founder
May 29, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
1691 Google has unveiled its first fully designed self-driving prototype, a two-seater vehicle that eliminates the steering wheel, accelerator, brake pedal, mirrors and glove compartment. The car is unable to travel faster than 25 mph, while software and sensors are designed to help the vehicle steer clear of accidents. Passengers simply input their destination and push a single button.

"The project is about changing the world for people who are not well-served by transportation today," said Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

If the car should malfunction, the car has two sets of steering and braking systems, so if one fails the other can take over.

The company plans to build about a hundred prototypes and Google’s safety drivers will start testing early versions with manual controls. If all goes well, Google plans to run a small pilot program in California in the next couple of years and if the technology develops, it will work with partners to bring the technology into the world.

Related Content

  • Data handling important for autonomous vehicles
    December 8, 2016
    Data handling is becoming an ever-greater part of transportation and never more so than with autonomous vehicles, as Andrew Bardin Williams hears from some big names.
    Read More
  • Connected Vehicles test vehicle to vehicle applications
    January 19, 2012
    In the US, the ITS Joint Program Office is about to conduct a series of Driver Clinics intended to gauge public reaction to Connected Vehicle safety technologies and applications. Starting in August, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) will test Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) applications with everyday drivers in what it describes as 'normal operational scenarios'. These Driver Clinics are being carried out at six locations across the US and together with the subsequent model deployment beginning in 2012,
    Read More
  • Caltrans takes the long view of transport
    October 21, 2016
    Caltrans’ Malcolm Dougherty took time out of his schedule at ITS America 2016 in San Jose to talk to ITS International about current and future challenges. As director of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) since mid-2012, many would say that Malcolm Dougherty has one of the best jobs in transportation. Caltrans is one of the most progressive and innovative transport authorities, implementing policies to encourage cycling, piloting new
    Read More
  • Update on autonomous cars: mastering city street driving
    May 14, 2014
    In a recent blog post, Google’s director of their self-driving car project, Chris Urmson has given an update on the technology that he says is better than the human eye. Google’s autonomous vehicles have logged nearly 700,000 miles on the streets of the company’s hometown, Mountain View, California. Urmson says a mile of city driving is much more complex than a mile of freeway driving, with hundreds of different objects moving according to different rules of the road in a small area. He claims that
    Read More

Highlighted Content