Google has stated that the cars programmed by it to drive themselves have now began to master the navigation of streets in the cities and the challenges offered by them. It is indeed a critical milestone that they have achieved for making a commercially available self-driving car technology. Though a lot of progress has been made, there is still plenty of stuff that the cars need to learn before 2017 when the automakers are planning to launch the technology. Though Google has not yet decided on the way it wishes to market this awesome technology.
A Google self-driving Lexus RX 450H is seen on the streets of Washington, D.C.
None of the conventional automotive companies have taken such a step. Rather, they have been incorporating features such as technology the accelerated and brakes in stop-and-go traffic situations, etc. A senior analyst with Navigant Research, David Alexander, stated that this Google technology is really great but he estimated it to become commercially available not before 2025. In a blog post, the leader of the project stated how well the Google’s self-driving cars can handle so many urban situations. These cars can navigate highways with great comfort. Chris Urmson, project director, stated that they are growing more optimistic by what they have achieve so far and how they are heading towards the goal.
Google believes that by creating a vehicle that can operate completely without any human intervention can ensure there are fewer accidents as their premium principle is to drive more safely. However, in the first iterations, human drivers will be expected to take things in their control if the computer fails. But the eventual target is to remove the need for a driver. Before achieving the current milestones, Google has considered all the world’s stop signs. Also, as of now, the Google self-driving car can cover 700,000 miles on self-driving mode with majority of the stretch being a highway.
Here’s a video showing how a self-driving car navigates some common scenarios near the Googleplex.
Also see – Google Street View Car found crashed in India
