Google has announced that it has been working on its own line of driverless cars as part of its Google X research project, with the latest one having no steering wheel and no brakes.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin demonstrated the company’s newest car at the annual Code conference. He said that creating their own driverless car gave them the ability to focus on the safety of the car and pedestrians.
According to The Washington Post, the driverless car is very simple. It is a two seater with a screen that shows the Google maps route the car is taking and two buttons. The car can be started with a smartphone app that tells the car where to go. Lasers and radar sensors control the car; therefore brakes and a steering wheel are not necessary. The cars are being safely monitored by Google employees when tested on actual roads.
Google has been working with Lexus Suv’s and Toyota vehicles the past few years to test the driverless technology. Google placed cameras, computers, and radars into those vehicles. Since then Google has designed its owned driverless vehicles. Brin pointed out that the Google made cars have more safety features such as a plastic windshield and foam bumper, as well as a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour, Bloomberg BusinessWeek noted.
While the Google cars won’t be out for a few more years, Brin looks forward to the future. He says that Google aims to make transportation easier for those who have a hard time with transportation today. He also assured that the Google cars will be a much safer alternative to human drivers.