Google's self-driving car trial is being taken up a gear, as the search giant aims to bring the technology closer to reality for the average commuter.
Google currently has a fleet of self-driving vehicles, of which it says about a dozen are on the road at any given time. The vehicles are said to have covered more than 300 000 miles (482 800km) of testing. “They've covered a wide range of traffic conditions, and there hasn't been a single accident under computer control,” says Google.
“We're encouraged by this progress, but there's still a long road ahead. To provide the best experience we can, we'll need to master snow-covered roadways, interpret temporary construction signals, and handle other tricky situations that many drivers encounter.”
The next step will see the members of the self-driving car team using the cars on solo trips (until now they have been travelling in pairs) such as commuting to work.
“This is an important milestone, as it brings this technology one step closer to every commuter. One day we hope this capability will enable people to be more productive in their cars. For now, our team members will remain in the driver's seat and will take back control if needed,” says Google.
“With each breakthrough, we feel more optimistic about delivering this technology to people and dramatically improving their driving experience.”
Google's self-driving car project began at the end of 2010, with the goal of helping to prevent traffic accidents, free up people's time and reduce carbon emissions by changing car use. The cars use video cameras, radar sensors, a laser range and detailed maps (collected from manually driven vehicles) to navigate.
Back in 2010, Google said the World Health Organisation estimated 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. “We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half. We're also confident that self-driving cars will transform car sharing, significantly reducing car usage, as well as help create the new 'highway trains of tomorrow'.”
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