Google takes the self-driving car to the next level

seamus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqSDWoAhvLU

Basically they've built a car with no driver controls. You sit in it like a passenger in a taxi and it takes you where you want to go.

I know lots of people enjoy the driving experience. Hey, I do too when I get onto uncongested country roads, but 90% of my driving (and most peoples' no doubt) is mundane daily grind stuff. The kind of thing you wish you didn't have to do.

I've made huge posts about this at length and how cars will move from an "always there" convenience to an "on demand" convenience. Rather than have a car sitting outside your house unused for at least 30% of the time, you book these cars like a taxi. Except without a driver and the tonnes of crap there to assist the driver, these cars will be far more reliable and cheaper to mass produce. Meaning that you are pretty much guaranteed to get one within five minutes because you have a single company running thousands of them around the city and for fractions of the cost of a traditional taxi. Unfortunately it will spell the end of the traditional taxi industry (though not for 10 - 30 years), but times move on, c'est la vie.

The typical idea that we will all have our own driverless cars flying about the roads is quickly becoming less and less likely. Rather than spend €20k every five years on a brand new car, instead we'll pay a €200/year subscription for access to a vehicle on demand. Which will turn out to be multiple times more cost effective for the vast majority of people.

And the whole way we think about what cars are and how they look will change because it no longer needs to be built around the driver's experience. Each car could be a six-person "pod" with a table in the middle and ample leg room. Nobody needs to be watching the road and focussing on safety.


This is basically what Google are taking the next steps towards here. Unfortunately it's still a good few years away, but it's getting closer.

Wossack

this reads like one of those Tomorrows World reports from the 1980's :pac:

dgt

They can stick that up their arse

jimgoose

From my cold dead hands, hi!!

Valetta

I understand the new power unit will be a v6 search engine.

jimgoose

Valetta wrote: »

I understand the new power unit will be a v6 search engine.

Yup. And a Transmission Control Protocol. S'like OBD-II, only all like, Googly an' shiz-nit. :cool:

jiminho

Definitely the way of the future, no doubt. Google pulled some statistics when testing this and said that 90% of all car accidents are the fault of the driver i.e. drunk driving, on mobile, not paying attention etc. This could therefore cut out 90% of accidents theoretically. Apparently they have a few hurdles to get over tho. Driving in the rain apparently screws up the laser system and driving in the snow is impossible in the current form. Also, google has been using Lexus SUVs to test the self driving apparatus on and google says this apparatus costs more than the SUV itself. So no doubt the future but a long way off. It will be 2030 at least before we start seeing any sign of actually production and if Tesla with their electric car is anything to go by, adoption of the idea will take another 15 years to become mainstream. 30 years is a long, long, long time.

Cuddlesworth

jiminho wrote: »

Definitely the way of the future, no doubt. Google pulled some statistics when testing this and said that 90% of all car accidents are the fault of the driver i.e. drunk driving, on mobile, not paying attention etc. This could therefore cut out 90% of accidents theoretically. Apparently they have a few hurdles to get over tho. Driving in the rain apparently screws up the laser system and driving in the snow is impossible in the current form. Also, google has been using Lexus SUVs to test the self driving apparatus on and google says this apparatus costs more than the SUV itself. So no doubt the future but a long way off. It will be 2030 at least before we start seeing any sign of actually production and if Tesla with their electric car is anything to go by, adoption of the idea will take another 15 years to become mainstream. 30 years is a long, long, long time.

If your paying a driver 30-40k a year, justifying the cost of a self driving car becomes reasonable. You will see this in the services industry first, buses, taxis, Limo's.

Zcott

Fantastic. Can't wait. Where do I order? I love driving, but whenever I'm tired and driving back from Donegal late at night, a self-driving car sounds absolutely amazing.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Until something happens like running the red light or speeding and the guard tries to fine you.

sorry guard. Im not driving !