Google Self-Driving Cars By: Shiv Patel ITMG /16/13

 Sebastian Thrun and the Stanford Racing Team created Stanley in 2005  Stanley is a Volkswagen Touareg that the team made into a self-driving vehicle  Stanley won the DARPA Grand Challenge, an off-road race between autonomous cars  A couple of years later, Google decided to try to create a self driving car for everyday use Background Information

 Google assembled a group of 1o vehicles to convert into self-driving automobiles  These vehicles consisted of the Toyota Prius, Audi TT, and Lexus RX450h  Together these vehicles have driven over 300,000 miles without an accident while on autopilot  Expected release time 3-5 years (see link below)  google-self-driving-cars-in-3-5-years-feds-not-so-fast google-self-driving-cars-in-3-5-years-feds-not-so-fast Background Information

 Google equips each autonomous car with about $150,00o worth of equipment  This includes a $70,000 LIDAR (Light Imaging Detection and Ranging) system with a Velodyne 64- beam laser  It is a remote sensing technology that measures the distance to a target with a laser light and a backscattered light.  Used in police speed guns Technology

 The car has 4 radars on the front and rear bumpers  These radars are used to “see” nearby objects such as other cars or pedestrians  A camera on top to read traffic lights  GPS system to navigate the car  Wheel encoder Technology

 Ability to eat, read, talk on the phone, do homework, study, watch TV, and much more while the car drives itself  Possible reduction of car accidents as 90% of them are due to human error  Possible reduction of traffic and pollution  Elderly and disabled people able to get around on their own  In one of Google’s tests, a man who is 95% blind was able to “drive” to Taco Bell and the dry cleaners all by himself Benefits of Autonomous Vehicles

 This is only the basic design of self-driving cars  There is so much potential for more  For example, the autonomous car could be designed to drive itself, even without a driver.  Imagine if each family in America could cut down to only one or two cars because their cars are able to drop them off in one location and then return home to pick up a different family member. Benefits of Autonomous Vehicles

 Google is still trying to overcome issues including difficulty for the sensors to picks up lane lines and road signs in the snow  Questions about navigating through road changes that are not updated in its map  Driving through construction areas or areas in which drivers are being guided by hand signals Roadblocks and Concerns

 It is unknown how insurance policies will be designed for self-driving vehicles  Arguments can be made for more expensive policies and for lower costing policies than normal cars  The cost of the current technology on each vehicle is about $150,000, which is not something the average consumer can afford  Google needs to make the product affordable before it hits the market Roadblocks and Concerns

 All of the current laws are designed for cars driven by people  Google is already facing many questions of how the self-driving car will adapt to these laws  They have had some success in the legal battles  On June 29, 2011, Nevada became the first state to pass a bill allowing these cars  California, Texas, and Florida followed soon after Roadblocks and Concerns

 There are many companies researching and developing autonomous cars  Oxford University is the only competitor close to Google in the field  The team at Oxford has designed a Nissan Leaf into a fully electric, self-driving vehicle  Other companies interested in autonomous vehicles include Continental Automotive Systems, BMW, and GM  These companies are still behind as they have yet to report testing data Competition

Autonomous Vehicle Comparison Cost of Technology Miles DrivenAble to Drive on all Roads Expected Release Google$150,000300,000 +Yes3-5 years Oxford University $7,620UnknownNo, only on main roads in GPS 3-6 years Competition

 This project is huge and could make an impact in each of our lives  Billions of people around the world drive and millions are injured in car accidents  If this technology is improved and becomes widespread, it can make the world a safer place Significance

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 Blodget, Henry. "Google's Problems With Its Self-Driving Cars." Yahoo! Finance. N.p., 5 Mar Web. 14 Apr  "Google's Self-Driving Car Passes 300,000 Miles." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 Aug Web. 11 Apr  Howard, Bill. "Google: Self-driving Cars in 3-5 Years. Feds: Not so Fast.” ExtremeTech. N.p., 8 Feb Web. 14 Apr  Olarte, Olivia. "Human Error Accounts for 90% of Road Accidents." Driver Risk Management Solutions. N.p., 3 Apr Web. 13 Apr  Vance, Ashlee. "Google's Self-Driving Robot Cars Are Ruining My Commute.” Bloomberg BusinessWeek Technology. N.p., 28 Mar Web. 14 Apr Works Cited