Google says it is developing and testing autonomous cars that eliminate the necessity of human operators. Some researchers predict traffic accidents and deaths could be drastically reduced in a driverless world.
According to Google, the car uses a laser system mounted on top of the car which allows the system to take a 3D scan of its environment. This data then combines with high-resolution maps of the world, allowing it to drive itself. The system is able to identify pedestrians attempting to cross streets, traffic light patterns, and other drivers on the road.
These maps embedded in the car’s technology allow for its users to enter the vehicle and program which routes they want to take, according to Google. All users then take the role of passengers as the car autonomously drives them to their programmed destinations.
Google’s fleet of autonomous test cars is programmed to follow the letter of the law, which creates difficulties between its encounters with other human operated cars on the streets.
According to a report from the New York Times, one Google car, in a test in 2009, couldn’t get through a four-way stop because its sensors kept waiting for other (human) drivers to come to a complete stop. The other human drivers kept inching forward in their vehicles, and Google’s car requires that all other cars come to a complete stop before it proceeds. Situations like these paralyze Google’s robot cars, and researchers are currently making changes to acclimate their cars to real life driving situations.
Orr Brown, a junior from Samoa studying international cultural studies, stated how forms of technological advances have affected our lives profoundly. “Technology is now the artificial science, and that can be seen as one of our new fears in society. What are we going to do when it gets out of control, or possibly turns against us?” Brown said robots are starting to take over the workforce, and are gradually taking away employment opportunities.
Terri-Lee Bixby, a junior from New York studying history, said these cars won’t be essential aspects of her life. “I wouldn’t go near this car, and I don’t like robots controlling my life. I’m not sure how well this car would perform driving in hazardous conditions like snow because they’ve only been primarily tested in California cities.”
According to Google, the prototypes' speed cannot exceed 25 mph during test trials and will have safety drivers aboard the entire time. Only a few states have legalized the use of self-driving cars, and the majority of testing takes place outside Google’s headquarters in the streets of Mountain View, California.
Steven Speakman, a senior from California studying biology, said these driverless cars have a clean accident history. “All of the accidents associated with these cars have been because of human error.” Google’s cars have a human-override option which allows the driver to take control at any time by simply navigating the steering wheel or stepping on the brake pedal.
According to Google’s test drive results, a majority of the accidents have been from other drivers on the road. Models are predicted to be available in the market as early as the year 2020, according to Google. Other companies are also taking on tasks of making their own prototypes of self-driving cars.