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It's been a while since we did any science on Truthloader but I think you guys might
like this so here goes. This is Google's new self driving car. Not a modified Prius or
Prius depending on where you live, a custom car, custom built, by Google. And it only
has one button. which says stop or go. No pedals, no steering wheel.
Or at least it won't have eventually, the early versions do, because of road traffic
laws which mean that the driver has to be able to step in. But eventually, it'll just
be you, a satnav, a big red button marked go and the open highway. Which you'll be cruising
along at an astonishing 25mph, which for our international audience is 40kph.
Which is pretty slow. And you'll notice that the cars are also ridiculously cute, in a
sort of Japanese, slightly creepy way. But there's a reason for this. Traditionally,
self driving cars look terrifying - a mess of wires and whirring balls stuck on top of
a stock car to make it look just a flux capacitor away from an 80s sci fi film.
These are the cute faces of self-driving cars. They're designed to be slow and cute - so
that skeptics can begin to trust the machines with their lives. That said, these cars are
very basic - they are just prototypes. They don't have much in the way of creature comforts
or luxury. They don't even have four seats. But then they can drive themselves, so...
You know, swings and roundabouts.
And wow they can drive themselves. Sensor networks mean they have no blind spots. Even
in heavy congestion they can sense the movement of objects hundreds of metres away and plan
their movements accordingly. They can park - and if there's a space they'll find it.
Google plan to build 100 of these prototypes, with early examples having pedals and steering
wheels just to be safe and later, more advanced models doing away with them once they have
recieved state approval. The first cars will become operational over the summer, with a
Californian test scheme starting a couple of years later.
And along with the 100 self driving cars Volvo is planning on introducing to parts of Gothenburg
in Sweden in the next couple of years, and promises from Nissan of an autonomous car
by 2020, the age of traffic jams, accidents and drink driving could be coming to an end.
I love my car, but I really love these cars.