Google’s Autonomous Car & Us

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While we were rushing off to KnowledgeFest, a Google car that can drive itself made news headlines.

Autonomous cars have been gaining more attention for the past 5 or 6 years but Google appears to have taken the technology to the next level. It put an autonomous Prius filled with sensors on the roads of San Francisco and let the car drive through several exits on Highway 101 in California. Yes, an engineer was behind the wheel, but with a couple of exceptions, he kept his hands to his sides, said The New York Times.

The Prius, a project of Google, followed a route programmed into its GPS system.

Autonomous cars could become a reality in about 8 years or more, creating safer and more efficient roadways. There would be less traffic as the cars could travel closer together.

But for car electronics industry members there’s more implied here.

Some of the sensors and “robotics” systems used to create an autonomous car are already available to the aftermarket and in new cars. The items include crash warning systems, blind spot detectors and lane departure warning systems. No these are not setting sales records at 12-volt shops yet, but the fact that Google is embracing the technology shows that that it will likely continue to gain attention.

For more on the autonomous car, click here.

Source: The New York Times via Auto Field Blog

Updated photo via Engadget

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1 Comment

  1. The year: 2030
    80% of all US driven vehicles are IE controlled.

    Place:
    NYC

    Time:
    9:10AM Monday Morning.

    Event:
    Terrorist Attack
    Multiple EMP attack. 100% of all IE vehicles in Manhattan NYC are forever stopped. World Wide economy crashes.

    Autonomous car? No way.
    —————————————————————————-

    2nd scenario same date time etc…

    DMV/Government computer gets infiltrated. 100% of IE vehicles sent array. Same outcome
    —————————————————————————-

    You bet your bottom Dollar that a law (championed by Google or similar company to gain from IE cars) will come soon that will make it difficult or impossible for not computer controlled cars to exist.

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