google’s self-driving car eliminates steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals
all images and video courtesy google

 

 

 

unlike its second generation autonomous lexus SUV, google has developed their first self-driving car, eliminating traditional driving features such as the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal. engineered to work exclusively using sophisticated software and sensors, the prototype can operate without requiring human intervention. for now, the vehicles will be very basic – they are capped at a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph), includes two seats with seatbelts, space for passenger belongings, start and stop buttons, and a touchscreen that shows route information.

 

because it is fully autonomous, the self-learning vehicle needs to integrate special sensors to remove blind spots, which can detect objects up-to distances of more than two football fields, in all directions. the technology is capable of detecting multiple distinct objects simultaneously—including pedestrians, vehicles, signage, and road work—and respond safely. google plans on building an additional hundred prototype vehicles, hoping to run a small pilot program in california in the coming years.

 

 

a first look at google’s third-generation self-driving car

 

 

‘ever since we started the google self-driving car project, we’ve been working toward the goal of vehicles that can shoulder the entire burden of driving,’ explains chris urmson, director of google’s self-driving car project. ‘just imagine: you can take a trip downtown at lunchtime without a 20-minute buffer to find parking. seniors can keep their freedom even if they can’t keep their car keys. and drunk and distracted driving? history.’

 

 

the tech behind google’s self-driving car