Google Gets Licence For Self-driving Car In US
Driver-less
cars will soon be a reality on the roads of Nevada after the state
approved America’s first self-driven vehicle license.
The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has issued the first license
plates that will allow Google’s autonomous cars onto public highways.
The first to hit the highway will be a Toyota Prius modified by search
firm Google, which is leading the way in driver-less car technology.
Nevada is the first state to devise
licensing procedures for autonomous vehicles, and Google is the one of
the leaders in that field, having hired some of the top talent that took
part in the DARPA Grand and Urban Challenges. Google‘s
fleet will have red Nevada license plates with a Greek infinity symbol,
intended to alert other drivers that a computer has control of the
vehicle.
The car uses video cameras mounted on the roof, radar sensors and a
laser range finder to “see” other traffic. Engineers at Google have
previously tested the car on the streets of California, including
crossing San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge. For those tests, the car
remained manned at all times by a trained driver ready to take control
if the software failed. According to software engineer Sebastian Thrun,
the car has covered 140,000 miles with no accidents, other than a bump
at traffic lights from a car behind.
This is what the car sees while navigating through the roads.
Bruce Breslow, director of Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles, says he believes driver-less vehicles are the “cars of the future“.
Nevada changed its laws to allow self-driven cars in March. The
long-term plan is to license members of the public to drive such cars.
Google’s car has been issued with a red licence plate to make it
recognisable. The plate features an infinity sign next to the number
001. Other states, including California, are planning similar changes.
“The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error,” said
California state Senator Alex Padilla, when he introduced the
legislation.
“Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an
autonomous vehicle is capable of analyzing the driving environment more
quickly and operating the vehicle more safely.”
Handout photo of the Google self-driven car in Las Vegas.
