Google Road-testing Computer-controlled Cars
Google has announced it has been testing driverless vehicles on actual California streets.
The seven vehicles in the research are equipped with oodles of technology, and use a combination of radar, lasers and video to detect and avoid other vehicles and obstacles. The vehicles, or should we say “robo cars”, are fully computerized to know and learn traffic patterns, speed limits and can navigate by internal road maps. So far, they are proving to be safer than human drivers, as they have astonishingly faster response times and can react to danger far more quickly than a human operator.
Some of the real-world roads they have successfully navigated include Lombardi Street in San Francisco, Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles and the cliff-laden Pacific Coast Highway. The cars are always manned with human back-up, but so far have had no need for human intervention during their travels.
Google has not publicized how they hope to profit from this technology, or their future plans for it, but the initial testing looks promising. Computer-driven cars will surely cut back on the number of roadway deaths and injuries, make travel more efficient and less costly and also free up people’s time and reduce their stress levels.
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