Google driverless car: all the way, but long-term future

Netease Technology News May 14 news, according to foreign media reports, Google today invited the media test ride their own research and development of driverless cars. Re / Code article describes the experience of this high-tech car ride.

The following is Re / Code website "Google driverless car: all the way down, but long-term future," a text excerpt.

Google Tuesday invited the media to try driverless cars. Trying to travel by car In the work area of ​​Mountain View in Google and the surrounding blocks, I was riding a white Lexus driverless car. The entire experience is not as imagined as traditional.

Of course, Google driverless cars will still comply with the traffic rules. However, when a truck was inserted into our lane, Google car accelerated beyond the car, to ensure that the team undisturbed.

From the rear-view point of view, there is no feeling of insecurity. The car brakes itself when it comes across people crossing the road. It will stop if you can not see the traffic light behind the turn. And it automatically accelerates when it finds a bus likely to enter our lane.

For the entire project, about 700,000 miles in driving, Google car accident never happened with an accident, but there have been several rear-end. These cars will never exceed the speed limit, unless the driver gives a clear order to allow them to exceed the speed limit of 10 kilometers on the highway in order to catch up with traffic.

Through the camera, laser and sensor data - GPS is too inaccurate - Google car position error of only a few centimeters. And in the console has a big red button in the center, you can press the entire system off.

Although this system has given me increased confidence, it has not made me optimistic to the extent that unmanned vehicles are in the immediate future. My first impression is that there is no commercialization of Google's driverless cars in the short term. The entire fleet is only 24 Lexus test car. The remote sensor used to draw the map also scanned only 2,000 miles.

In fact, after five years of work, Google's driverless car team is now in a carefully tuned phase. These 24 cars go out and run almost every day. It is better for the two "test riders" to sit on the track where the car turns better, or if it correctly assesses whether or not other vehicles may be in the driveway.

For a time, about 100 Googlers were involved in "internal use" testing, relying on these vehicles as commuter shuttles. Now the entire fleet is dealing with the kind of pavement encountered in complex intersections and construction sites.

Team leader Dmitri Dolgov talked about the progress of the project. "Everything started going awry at the beginning of 2009. It took half an hour to squeeze into the parking lot and it was a lot better now so there really was a lot more to be done in order to find all kinds of complicated situations."

However, there are still many problems with Google cars that have not been solved-for example, driving in complex weather where sensors are affected. At present, Google driverless cars can not smooth the rain driving, especially afraid of other cars on the highway to bloom. When foggy, Google's driving level has been comparable with humans. Snow scene has not been tested.

While many people do not trust Google cars, the product does help reduce traffic accidents. Statistics show that 90% of the people aged 4 to 34 who died in an accident were mainly caused by human-induced driving errors. And driverless cars can also help the elderly and people with disabilities.

Chris Urmson, director of Google's driverless car program, said the true mass market time for the product should be between three and a half to six years, or 2017 to 2020. "If according to my own boss, Sergey Brin, at the time he told government officials it would be one and a half years left in five years, and we will work according to this time - but safety is even more important "

"If you look at the teenager's driving record, you will find out how terrible things are.I have a 10-year-old son, and I have 6 years to launch this product if I count his age," he said . (Abby)