Google's Driverless Car Still in Testing Phase

Google is leading the race to launch the first driverless car. The tech giant officially entered the automotive technology arena several years ago, not to design a specific model but to create and provide technology capable of driving a car without a driver. Recent videos and photos released from the testing and operation of these vehicles in Mountain View, Google's headquarters in Northern California, show that although there may not be a driver inside the car, a legion of engineers and designers is responsible for guiding these vehicles. The first test of these cars took place a year ago, but this is the first time they are being tested in public spaces. Google's engineers believe that in public spaces, they do not have control over many events, making it a very good test for their designed model. Chris Urmson, the project manager for Google's driverless cars, states that this initial model of the car—resembling Volkswagen cars—was received in early winter, and since then, they have practiced nearly a million miles with it. He mentions that last week, this same car drove ten thousand miles in practice—without a driver. This vehicle has a button for turning on and off, and its advanced models are expected to have a steering wheel that can be installed and removed. The initial model accommodates two passengers and features a green safety belt. As expected from any vehicle of the future, this transportation means is fully electric. Google has not limited itself to understanding traffic and vehicles for testing this car. In photos released from the initial tests, pedestrians are seen holding objects like balls, umbrellas, etc. Google aims to assess the recognition capabilities of its computers when objects do not have the usual and predefined shapes. It is expected that this summer (2015), Google’s driverless cars will be allowed to drive in public spaces (at least in Northern California). However, it is likely that thousands more miles of practice will need to be conducted by that time.