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Google unveils self-driving car prototype
2014-05-28 09:26:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) Google has revealed a driverless car design without any conventional controls such a steering wheel or brake pedal and announced that it will build 100 prototypes of the vehicles for testing in California later this summer. Although the initial propotype has no facility for a human to take control, other than an emergency stop button, the testbed versions will incorporate manual controls to comply with the law in California which only allows autonomous vehicles if a driver can take charge. Google said its testing had suggested it was safer to remove conventional controls altogether because allowing a human to take over suddenly could have unpredictable results. According to project director Chris Urmson, driverless cars are "an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people". The vehicle has two seats, a screen displaying the route and a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). A range of sensors allows the vehicle's computer to determine its location and remove blind spots and it can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections, according to Google.
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