Self Driving Cars are the future!!!

[Philipnet]

The car will have a stop-go button but no controls, steering wheel or pedals. For early testing, extra controls will be fitted so one of Google's test drivers can take over if there is a problem. The controls will simply plug in, and over time as confidence in the technology grows, they will be removed entirely.

Pictures of the Google vehicle show it looks like a city car with a "friendly" face, designed to make it seem non-threatening and help people accept self-driving technology. It looks almost cartoon-like, it has no traditional bonnet at the front, and the wheels are pushed to the corners.

The front end of the vehicle is designed to be safer for pedestrians, with a soft foam-like material where a traditional bumper would be, and a more flexible windscreen, which may help reduce injuries.

Some researchers working in this field are investigating potential downsides to driverless car technology. They believe they could make traffic and urban sprawl worse, as people accept longer commutes as they do not have to drive themselves.

Google says it will initially build 100 prototype vehicles. It will seat two people, propulsion will be electric, and at the start it will be limited to 25mph (40km/h) to help ensure safety.


The vehicle will use a combination of laser and radar sensors along with camera data to drive autonomously. It will depend on Google's road maps, built specifically for the programme, and tested on the company's current fleet of vehicles.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27587558

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I sort-of want one.
But without the 25mph limit first


Would you ever accept a self driving car on the roads? and be driven by one?

[Stuart Wallis]

In a way it makes sense - The Men (and Women) From The Footer will only have toworry about the tech rather than drunk driving. And at 25 MPH, i can see all those producers of cop car chase shows having to get more imaginative in their output...

[Rob McCow]

I like to imagine a couple in their 40's getting in one of these and screaming as it drives on and on... at a sedate pace of 20mph.

It is the future though. The only issue is the changeover period and integrating it with our current, redundant, meat-driven cars.

[Stuart Wallis]

I like to imagine a couple in their 40's getting in one of these and screaming as it drives on and on... at a sedate pace of 20mph.

Well done, you've made half the people on PS feel twice their age!

[Philipnet]

It's getting ready to integrate with our meat-driven cars already

And bikes to!

[Dirk Gently]

I hope it uses a better route system than most SatNav's.

I wonder how the system copes with bad weather (heavy rain, hail, snow, etc); seeing as it's only been used in California I'm guessing it hasn't been cold weather tested yet.

[Stuart Wallis]

I hope they've tested the Google snow plough, so that the Google gritting lorry can get through a week after the grit's arrived and a fortnight after the snow's melted...

[Perry Vale]

[Philipnet]

UK to allow driverless cars on public roads in January



The UK government has announced that driverless cars will be allowed on public roads from January next year.

It has invited cities to compete to host one of three trials of the technology, which would start at the same time.

In addition, ministers ordered a review of the UK's road regulations to provide appropriate guidelines.
The Department for Transport had originally pledged to let self-driving cars be trialled on public roads by the end of 2013.

"Today's announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months, putting us at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities for our economy and society,"

UK engineers, including a group at the University of Oxford, have been experimenting with driverless cars. But, concerns about legal and insurance issues have so far restricted the machines to private roads.


More http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28551069

[Dirk Gently]

"I'm sorry Officer but the accident was my cars fault not mine".

[Stuart Wallis]

"In which case would you mind if I ask your car to take a breath test? Oh dear - have we been on the red diesel again sir...?"