Google's Self-Driving Car To Be Tested Without Backup Driver
Google has developed several prototypes of their self driving cars, and they have tested out the technology on public roads with a backup driver and a steering wheel just in case. But now for the first time, they are going to test drive one of the high tech vehicles without a backup driver.
Google has developed several prototypes of their self driving cars, and they have tested out the technology on public roads with a backup driver and a steering wheel just in case, and also to comply with California’s vehicular regulations.
But now for the first time, they are going to test drive one of the high tech vehicles without a backup driver.
NASA officials made the announcement about the test drive, which will reportedly take place at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, only a few miles from Google headquarters.
The two-thousand acre research facility is on federal land, so Google can legally test out the system on the network of streets there without a backup driver to take over if something goes wrong.
Leland Stone, president of the Ames Federal Employees Union is quoted as saying: "One of the goals of this partnership is to make the breakthrough from the current level of partial automation with backup human drivers to true automation. This ambitious goal raised novel safety challenges that needed to be addressed."
A self-driving Lexus has already been driving around Moffett Field presumably with a driver on board, mapping out the location, and gathering information that will be used by the prototypes to steer themselves.
Google has developed several prototypes of their self driving cars, and they have tested out the technology on public roads with a backup driver and a steering wheel just in case, and also to comply with California’s vehicular regulations.
But now for the first time, they are going to test drive one of the high tech vehicles without a backup driver.
NASA officials made the announcement about the test drive, which will reportedly take place at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, only a few miles from Google headquarters.
The two-thousand acre research facility is on federal land, so Google can legally test out the system on the network of streets there without a backup driver to take over if something goes wrong.
Leland Stone, president of the Ames Federal Employees Union is quoted as saying: "One of the goals of this partnership is to make the breakthrough from the current level of partial automation with backup human drivers to true automation. This ambitious goal raised novel safety challenges that needed to be addressed."
A self-driving Lexus has already been driving around Moffett Field presumably with a driver on board, mapping out the location, and gathering information that will be used by the prototypes to steer themselves.