Posted 03.04.2011 at 11:45 am
11 Comments
Self-Driving Car Course
YouTube
Google's self-driving car project is ambitious at heart--working with DARPA, Google is aiming to cut the number of traffic-related fatalities by as much as half, saving fuel along the way. But the badassery of the project has been kept largely under wraps until now: This video comes from a demonstration at a TED conference, and we can see that Google's robot drivers have the cold, steel heart of a rally driver.
The video shows a self-driven car powering through a test course, screaming around tight curves with total precision--not the hesitant, leisurely drive the video operator expected. It's not clear if the course was pre-mapped into the car's navigation or if it was using its sensors to pilot in real-time, but either way it's both impressive and intense.
[YouTube]
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The most disturbing part is when it stops and "senses beings" at the very end. Kinda reminds me of the Predator movies.
This seems phenomenal, but I can't help but wonder just how quickly these cars go through tires.
Ha... TopGear and BMW did this back in 2007.
Look up bmw 330i races around the topgear without a driver
I applauded the work being done... nothing like re-inventing the wheel... but now that googy has it... what scary things will they come up with it???
You'll have to sit through an advertisement before you can use the auto-drive system.
I think it would fit in with all the other drivers around here... :)
Good one bigburb...
"You'll have to sit through an advertisement before you can use the auto-drive system."
I almost spit up my fresca all over the screen.
@topgearfan, if I'm not mistaken, the BMW on TopGear was following a mapped route (which was still pretty awesome!) I believe the Google car is using sensors to find its way along the route.
I think it's funny they did this to a Prius. I mean, it's a good direction to take it in, the sustainable route and all, I just thought it was kind of funny to see it bouncing around going over bumps and all.
very true...
"it's not clear if the course was pre-mapped into the car's navigation or if it was using its sensors to pilot in real-time"
it's not that this isn't on the edge of something amazing that will change our lives... like facebook
to bad a real information based story doesn't exist here...
maybe the author's brains were jostled in an absurd speed test... didn't they get air at one point?
bottom line... why googy and not a car company... oh yeah they have money to burn... or the liability... can you imagine when Toyota's next eco-fake car is crashing through a shopping mall of people with a driver on the phone to the CHP "...but it won't stop hitting people"
I think by far the most impressive part of all this is the fact that they got a Prius to pull 1.03 lateral g's!
And on the topic of Top Gear, I would just like to say that I would love to see the guys from Google and the BBC put this system in a reasonably priced car, say, perhaps a Kia Cee'd... The interview would suck (the car history would be all Prii (first time I've used that plural in writing...)), but it would be interesting to see if it could get around the track faster than John Bishop!
i can't wait for this! i am so over driving myself.