Google’s First Self-Driving Car is Complete

I believe that autonomous (self-driving) cars are going to be big some day.  However, the concept has always felt so distant and unrealistic.  Well, Google thinks it’s realistic and we all may be much closer to owning one that we thought.

Google just announced the completion of their first self-driving car, built from the prototypes unveiled earlier this year.

7 Months Ago

Back in May, Google unveiled its self-driving car prototype.  At that time, it was still an early prototype, but they were able to give a bunch of regular people a chance to try it out and hear their thoughts.  Check out this video from May 2014.

So what have they been doing since then?  According to today’s announcement,…

Since then, we’ve been working on different prototypes-of-prototypes, each designed to test different systems of a self-driving car—for example, the typical “car” parts like steering and braking, as well as the “self-driving” parts like the computer and sensors. We’ve now put all those systems together in this fully functional vehicle—our first complete prototype for fully autonomous driving.

Before (May 2014)

After (December 2014)

What Happens Now?

It sounds like they are still doing some testing on their test track during the holidays, but starting “in the new year” they expect to start test driving them around the streets of Northern California.

Deadly Coding Bugs?

But will the kinks and bugs be worked out?  How will the car be able to make quick and smart decisions to avoid an impending accident or to choose a parking spot?  Will the car know if a parking spot is marked as reserved for handicapped, to-go, manager, etc?

Uber’s Dream Come True?

Or, will these be more like autonomous taxi cabs that don’t worry about parking, but just drive around picking people up and dropping them off?  I can imagine companies like Uber, Lyft, Discount Cab, and Yellow Cab are drooling over this right now with checkbook in hand.

Public Launch and Cost?

How soon will we see things things up for sale to the public?   How much do think they will cost?  Would it be worth it to you to be able to play on your phone during your commute?  One area I could see this as being very helpful to the public is for the disabled.  This would allow a disabled person to be able to have their own transportation without having to ask a friend or caregiver.

Your Thoughts?

Share your thoughts in the comments.  I would love to know what you all think about this.