Legit News
Google's Driverless Cars Now Permitted In California
It wasn't all that long ago Google's self driving cars hit 300,000 miles with zero accidents. Now California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a law that will allow trials of autonomous vehicles in the state. This of course was made possible by Google, however the vehicles will not be truly driverless as a licensed driver must be behind the wheel at all times in order to take control should the need arise. Still with 300k miles so far and now another state allowing further trials this is great news as to the development of driverless vehicles. Governor Brown has said "Today we are looking at science fiction become tomorrow’s reality," at the signing ceremony at the search giant's Mountain View headquarters. Granted right now the major force in autonomous vehicles is Google, having paved the way with regulatory approval in Nevada and now California. With that said, many manufacturers are now taking steps towards their own autonomous vehicles with features like parking assistance, lane-departure warnings and even adaptive cruise control. With Google and auto manufacturers now heading toward the same goal, hopefully more states will start passing laws allowing the testing of these vehicles.
Google, the operator of the world’s largest Internet search engine, has modified a Toyota Prius that drives itself using video cameras, radar sensors, a laser rangefinder and detailed maps. The vehicle includes a failsafe mechanism that lets the driver take control by grabbing the steering wheel or hitting the brakes, much like the override on a cruise control.
Posted by | Thu, Sep 27, 2012 - 02:29 PM
Socialize