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This is pretty awesome and has lot of potential assuming it will be reliable and open (not patented) so anyone can implement it. Imagine an autopilot mode in some vehicles where you could just let the car do the driving for you.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20101009...ng-cars-101009/

In an unassuming blog post, Google has modestly announced that it is not only developing cars that can drive themselves, but that they are already plying the roads alongside unsuspecting motorists.

"So we have developed technology for cars that can drive themselves," Google "Distinguished Software Engineer" Sebastian Thrun flatly announced on the company's official blog Saturday.

Google's fleet of automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to see the world and traffic around them. Combining the technology with a detailed database of maps, the cars have already undergone extensive secret testing - in plain sight on California's public highways.

"They've driven down Lombard Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe," Thrun wrote.

"All in all, our self-driving cars have logged over 140,000 miles."

Lest drivers worry an experiment could go wrong on the road beside them, Thrun says not to worry.

"Safety has been our first priority in this project," he wrote, explaining that all the test drives have had a human driver at the wheel, ready to take control of the vehicle should anything go wrong. A software operator also rides along to make sure the system is running smoothly.

"While this project is very much in the experimental stage, it provides a glimpse of what transportation might look like in the future thanks to advanced computer science," Thrun added.

Thrun, who is the director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and co-inventor of Google's Street View service, suggests self-driving cars have the potential to reduce the number of road traffic accidents, improve the flow of traffic on congested roads and even reduce car use by making it easier to share vehicles.

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5277, old post ID:39658

This scares me allot.

Man I miss real cars that ran without all this useless crap. Electronic gas pedals, Launch control, Computer controlled ABS, New cars over 2005 don't provide any driver feedback. I don't like any of em. Not to mention racing games would be boring/ non existent if thats the future. Playing GT10 "Finish First please" HAHA
Not to mention the black boxes being put in current cars that monitor you so insurance can deny a claim because you were slightly over the limit when that drunk driver killed your family member even though you weren't at fault. Alcohol leaves the system with time but the evidence against you will not go away

Also

and even reduce car use by making it easier to share vehicles.

I think it would have the exact opposite effect as the car can potentially be sent back empty (100% waste of energy) to drive the wife to work/kids to school (Who may normally walk) and be sent back to pick you up (Again empty), You would share alright because you can now waste energy for friends without even getting off the couch. It may also increase traffic heavily because now they will be traveling empty and anyone under 16 can use one so all these kids who have friends that are farther then normal walking distance can now be "Sent" anywhere.

I hope it glitches out then causes a massive pile up that would take a month to clean (Of course with no one getting hurt). Teach google a lesson.

If that thing even has a small fender bender with a pedestrian then someones going to be a millionaire

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5277, old post ID:39659