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news
Google's self-driving car prototype (image via Google Blog)Google to test purpose-built driverless vehicle on California roads
The latest version of Google’s self-driving car is all set for on-road testing. Unlike previous test vehicles, the new pod-like two-seater is a purpose-built driverless vehicle and so accelerator pedal and steering wheel need not necessarily be present. Such features will however be a part of the cars used for on-road testing as they are requirements under current California regulations.
On the Google blog, Chris Urmson, the director of the firm’s self-driving car project, wrote that testing on the roads of Mountain View was about to begin.
“We’ve been running the vehicles through rigorous testing at our test facilities, and ensuring our software and sensors work as they’re supposed to on this new vehicle. The new prototypes will drive with the same software that our existing fleet of self-driving Lexus RX450h SUVs uses.
“That fleet has logged nearly a million autonomous miles on the roads since we started the project, and recently has been self-driving about 10,000 miles a week. So the new prototypes already have lots of experience to draw on—in fact, it’s the equivalent of about 75 years of typical American adult driving experience.”
The electric prototype’s speed is capped at 25mph as it lacks air bags and other federally required safety features. Test drives will also see a safety driver on board who will be able to take control via a removable steering wheel, accelerator pedal and brake pedal. If all goes well, testing will then be expanded to hillier, rainier areas.
Google told The Associated Press that there have been 11 minor road incidents in the six years win which they have been testing driverless cars. Urmson says that all bar one were caused by the drivers of other vehicles. In the sole incident caused by a Google car, it was being driven in manual mode by a member of staff.
Dmitri Dolgov, the head of software for the self-driving car project, says Google's software is getting better at predicting the behaviour of pedestrians and other road users. He cited one example in which a Google car paused when a cyclist ran a red light, while another car, driven by a human, continued and nearly hit them. Indeed, Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, says the company’s goal is to create something that is safer than human drivers.
Earlier this month we reported how Google had patented a way for its driverless cars to recognise cyclists' hand signals. The software assesses the distance between a cyclist’s hand and head to determine whether it's seeing a left turn signal, a right turn signal or the dropped left hand that designates a stop in North America.
Here in the UK, the government is currently in the process of rewriting legislation in a bid to ensure the country becomes a world leader in driverless technology. One of the main issues is the question of liability in the event of a collision. Will the driver be liable or the manufacturer and will the owner become responsible for ensuring software is updated?
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
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19 comments
Never mind Uber, this could really shake up the taxi business. Imagine being able to order a self-driving car, in which you can then eat, hold a meeting, or do whatever you want. No requirement to drive, so also no requirement for the interior to be designed as a vehicle. Even windows will be optional!
so it has racked up 75 years worth of American road driving, I wonder if it's applicable to other countries
It's not even applicable to the US, because the final cars will not have the same level of road mapping, the roads won't be cherry-picked and the driving conditions won't be cherry-picked and the cars won't have a driver constantly on alert for any error the car might make.
Like road racing, they're starting off in cat 4 and they won't get to be racing in World Tour races until they've enough points/miles.
And from CNN, news arrives of self-driving trucks. Yay, I thought, yay! Until...
Go away! That's where I ride.
"...there have been 11 minor road incidents in the six years win which they have been testing driverless cars. Urmson (director of Google’s self-driving car project) says that all bar one were caused by the drivers of other vehicles."
Well, they would say that, wouldn't they!
I'd say liability lies squarely with the vehicle manufacturer since it is their system that is driving the car, they are responsible, they are liable.
I think there are lots of questions about liability, although probably not ones that should or will stop self driving cars being widely adopted.
At the moment if an employee behaves negligently and causes an accident then their employer is liable on their behalf. Maybe there should be an equivalent rule for people that 'employ' dangerous robots even if there was no way to know in advance that it was dangerous.
No, that's clearly not the case. See the KSIs caused by construction industry vehicles: No firm has been charged or in civil court (AFAIK) for those deaths or injuries. Just the drivers.
Capped at 25 mph? How will they cope? I was under under the impression that if you drive at less than 30 mph the universe explodes or something
Will it be powered by their Search Engine?
The subheading "Sole road incident involving a Google car..." is, as made clear in the article, a lie. There were at least 11 incidents involving a Google car. I'm personally very enthusiastic to see driverless cars on the road as soon as possible, but it doesn't help to write misleading headlines.
By the standards of other media this headline is tame: http://www.skepticink.com/incredulous/2015/05/14/googlecars-1-million-mi...
[[[[[[ You wanna see more driverless cars on the roads? I'm looking fwd to seeing more carless drivers on the roads....
Can you imagine the fun we can have with driverless cars.
1) Select your victim.
2) Wait for the moment he puts his double-skinny-mocha-latte-with-cinnamon-on-top to his lips.
3) Swerve aggressively and with purpose towards the vehicle.
4) The onboard computer throws a fit and either brakes or manoeuvres in an emergency fashion.
5) Your victim is now wearing his coffee.
6) You continue your journey grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
7) Select next victim.
8) Try to get to the top of the table. Well it'll be more fun than Strava!
9) Google servers prepare a digital dossier of your dangerous cycling.
10) Next victim receives alert from Google's facial recognition software.
11) Car notifies the Police of your location
12) Police reply with message thanking google for their concern, and saying they will send a letter to the cyclist asking them not to do it again.
(like roadsafe)
Googles algorithms tend to be quite good at learning, and no stranger to ignoring local laws when it suits - just wait until the car figures out how to make sure you *never* do it again...
You forget the Laws of Robotics.