The Google self-driving car is for real ? The cute Tata Nano lookalike works on sensors and software, and one can reach their destination by just at the push of a button?
Google has been confusing customer with tidbits about the new technology driverless car. but it wasn't until this week that it revealed what this futuristic technology would actually look like.The car comes without a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal, as the car driver won’t need any of it and reaches a maximum speed of roughly 40 kilometres an hour.
Google says that 100 of these prototypes will be built in the Detroit area, and the company expects them to be on the road by next year. Currently being tested around the company's Californian headquarters, the prototype could offer a whole new paradigm for driving where vehicles are operated by a single push-button and function like an automatic taxi service — not autonomous cars
Do we really need driverless vehicle? Is it safe? Google’s prime reason to build a driverless car is – Safety.
The search giant points out that 1.2 million people lose their lives due to traffic-related incidents, and more than 90 percent of these accidents are due to human error. With the self-driving car, it aims to ‘step up road safety and transform mobility for millions of people’. The self-driving technology is crafted to never get distracted and navigate the car as naturally as possible. It expects the car to be courteous, get defensive and drive as you would expect it.
There's still a whole load of questions that need to be answered before these sorts of vehicles become anywhere near the norm, but announcements like this mean we're learning more about what a self-driving car might mean.
Small intruders
The sensors made cannot detect small intruder like animals or beasts, it is unclear that how long the braking mechanism will function effectively.
Feels like theme park ride
The aesthetics and design gives it an appearance of theme park rider
Google's cars will still need a steering wheel - for legal reasons
Despite the fact that the car is being advertised as having no controls, Google will have to include both pedals and a wheel when they test the vehicles on California's streets thanks to the state's laws. This tension between what a car is and what it isn't
How it works?
Firstly, the self-driving car needs to know where it is or what’s around it. Google has included several sensors that act as the eyes and ears of the driver. Firstly, for location, the car uses GPS data, but GPS isn’t always accurate and hence the car uses other sensors like laser to help identify the precise location and depth by gauging the environment.
All the information is then processed by Google’s software that plays a vital role in driving. It differentiates between the objects and classifies them using colour coded boxes. For example, cycle will be red, pedestrians in yellow and vehicle in green or pink. The software then needs to classify these objects appropriately by differentiating them depending upon their shape, movement pattern and so on. For instance, it can detect if a cyclist is in the bike lane and so on. It also takes under consideration that humans usually feel a little uncomfortable when next to large vehicles like trucks. So, the software distinctly marks larger vehicles. So, it keeps the car farther from such vehicles, just how a driver would.
The software is also designed to match speed with traffic and also anticipates other vehicles cutting in. The software is also capable of detecting and navigating in construction zones, taking naturalistic driving into account. The software is also capable of detecting and navigating in construction zones, taking naturalistic driving into account.
The car has two seats and some space for passengers’ belongings. “On the inside, it is designed for learning, not luxury, so its light on creature comforts, but will have two seats (with seatbelts), a space for passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route—and that’s about it
Though driverless car have many advantages like safety, cost, also have cons like speed limitation, stability and reliability.
Google currently collects data on consumers through its search engine and email services, which it sells to third parties. Braga a Canadian tech journalist, says that the self-driving car could provide Google with even more personal information. They'll now have this extra data. They'll know things like, 'Stacy goes to the gym every Thursday,'" Braga said
It's a whole other set of data that could be exciting or terrifying
