Google has revealed its own self-driving car prototype, after working with Toyota and Lexus on previous models, the Google X Labs team has worked on its own prototype that comes without a steering wheel and has a more compact design.
Looking like a combination of a Smart Car and Fiat 500, the prototype car is evidently not built for style. The foam chairs and lack of a steering wheel add a good amount of room to the vehicle and it runs on an electric motor.
In the video we see two passengers getting into the small car and after putting in directions the car will automatically go to the destination. Google’s self-driving map and awareness technology has been worked on for the past few years, making it even safer than a human driving.
Google still has work to do on picking up certain objects when driving, but the platform they have been working on is full of small inferences and objects, making sure the car knows what to do before hitting a red light or slowing down when animals are on the road.
The new California ruling that allows self-driving cars to run on the road has amplified Google’s intentions to not just get one car on the road from one car manufacturer, but all partners to start building self-driving cars with Android Car OS inside.
It might not be until next year we actually see Google’s self-driving cars on the road, we still need to see other states and countries allows self-driving cars and we need to see Google’s partners come out from the cracks and show their own designs.
Self-driving cars might be the next big feat for the automotive industry, alongside the electric car revolution started by Tesla Motors. All we need to see is Google push out the concept from prototype stage to out on the road.
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