Google Self-Driving CarsBy: Shiv PatelITMG 100 09

4/16/13

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)

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/147940-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 Driven

Able to Drive on all Roads

Expected Release

Google $150,000 300,000 + Yes 3-5 years

OxfordUniversity

$7,620 Unknown No, 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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdgQpa1pUUE

Video Clip

Blodget, Henry. "Google's Problems With Its Self-Driving Cars." Yahoo! Finance. N.p., 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 14

Apr. 2013. "Google's Self-Driving Car Passes 300,000 Miles." Forbes.

Forbes Magazine, 15 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. Howard, Bill. "Google: Self-driving Cars in 3-5 Years. Feds:

Not so Fast.” ExtremeTech. N.p., 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.

Olarte, Olivia. "Human Error Accounts for 90% of Road Accidents." Driver Risk Management Solutions. N.p.,

3 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2013. Vance, Ashlee. "Google's Self-Driving Robot Cars Are

Ruining My Commute.” Bloomberg BusinessWeek Technology. N.p., 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.

Works Cited