The world's first robotic car
Unfortunately, with cars being used so often, accidents are bound to happen. Most companies have been attempting to design their cars so that the driver and machine are safe even after being involved in an accident, but Google had a different idea. A recent study showed that in 90 percent of automobile accidents were caused by the driver, not the car. With this information in mind, Google set off to create the world's first robotic car.
The theory behind the car is that machines are able to react much quicker than humans are. Humans also get easily distracted by cell phones, music, pedestrians and more, all of which a machine can be programmed to ignore. While the idea may seem a little far fetched, the company got the okay to test the robotic cars in May of 2012 after they were deemed just as safe as a human driver.
The car works by mounting a laser radar device on the roof and grill of the car. This laser is then able to detect cars, cyclists, pedestrians and other potential hazards and steer away from them. The car essentially creates a virtual shield around itself in an effort to prevent accidents from happening. Humans can still stop the car by pressing the breaks, but for the most part, everything else is done automatically.
So far the cars have traveled 160,000 miles without incident, but this recently changed when one of the robotic cars were involved in an accident. While no one was seriously injured in the crash, this leaves many wondering who should be held responsible. After all, if a car has no driver, who is there to blame when things go wrong?
While passengers in the robotic car can stop it should something go wrong, many believe that an accident shouldn't be the fault of the passenger since they weren't actually driving. Others argue that technology isn't advanced enough to control something as complex as driving. Google, on the other hand, was quick to release a statement urging the public not to blame the technology, but rather the people behind the technology.
With all new safety features, bugs and glitches are likely to happen. That's why test driving a car is so important, especially when it's being controlled by a robot. Realistically speaking, Google is going to have to make sure that their cars significantly decreases the odds of automobile accidents before releasing the device to the public. If they don't, the company is likely to get blamed when things go wrong.
The theory behind the car is that machines are able to react much quicker than humans are. Humans also get easily distracted by cell phones, music, pedestrians and more, all of which a machine can be programmed to ignore. While the idea may seem a little far fetched, the company got the okay to test the robotic cars in May of 2012 after they were deemed just as safe as a human driver.
The car works by mounting a laser radar device on the roof and grill of the car. This laser is then able to detect cars, cyclists, pedestrians and other potential hazards and steer away from them. The car essentially creates a virtual shield around itself in an effort to prevent accidents from happening. Humans can still stop the car by pressing the breaks, but for the most part, everything else is done automatically.
So far the cars have traveled 160,000 miles without incident, but this recently changed when one of the robotic cars were involved in an accident. While no one was seriously injured in the crash, this leaves many wondering who should be held responsible. After all, if a car has no driver, who is there to blame when things go wrong?
While passengers in the robotic car can stop it should something go wrong, many believe that an accident shouldn't be the fault of the passenger since they weren't actually driving. Others argue that technology isn't advanced enough to control something as complex as driving. Google, on the other hand, was quick to release a statement urging the public not to blame the technology, but rather the people behind the technology.
With all new safety features, bugs and glitches are likely to happen. That's why test driving a car is so important, especially when it's being controlled by a robot. Realistically speaking, Google is going to have to make sure that their cars significantly decreases the odds of automobile accidents before releasing the device to the public. If they don't, the company is likely to get blamed when things go wrong.