Google to Test Bubble-Shaped Self-Driving Cars in Silicon Valley

On Friday, Google announced that sometime this summer several prototype versions of its self-driving cars are set to hit the streets of Mountain View, Calif., the search giant’s hometown. The move is still just another round of testing but it is a significant step toward a pilot program in which regular consumers could ride in self-driving cars.

Okay, AI cars...awesome! Who gets the ticket in a wreck? What happens if the car decides to take a joy ride without you? Are they programming them to talk on cell phones and text message? What happens when the car drinks too much? Can it get a DWI from a AI cop? I think I would rather keep control over the car I am driving thank you very much. Do these cars have nagging spouses telling them where to turn? What is the fun in that?

www.nytimes.com...

Looks like a pregnant bun on roller skates. We do not have AIs yet. It is just a computer with sensors. The moment the sensors send something that the computer is not programed for, it will crash. I would bet there is a driver in every one just waiting to take over when something goes wrong.

That would not be my choice of car. Not much more protection in a crash that a bike.

P

a reply to: soulpowertothendegree

AI auto drones… I can't wait to spot one and 'test' it.


No humans were harmed during the course of that experiment.

Sad fact is people will focus on such a spectacle, try and get close, take selfless, cause wrecks, etc.

If one of these cars hits you, you have been Googled.

a reply to: soulpowertothendegree

I suspect if Ralph Nader was deceased, he would be rolling over in his grave.

I wonder what he has to say about smaller, lighter, less safe vehicles eviscerating the crown jewel of his life's work.

a reply to: pheonix358

That would not be my choice of car. Not much more protection in a crash that a bike

I don't know, the old VW Bug was very safe. Maybe they never have accidents!

I bet it has a better brain than a drunk.

Oh cmon!

a reply to: soulpowertothendegree

The Mercedes-Benz experimental self-driving car, a.k.a. Bertha, has come to California, a lead engineer for the project said yesterday at a San Francisco conference on autonomous vehicles.
Tougher car!
spectrum.ieee.org...