Google lobbies Nevada to allow self-driving cars
May 11, 2011 | Source: New York Times
Google is quietly lobbying for legislation that would make Nevada the first state where autonomous vehicles could be legally operated on public roads and would allow occupants to send text messages while sitting behind the wheel.
Dr. Sebastian Thrun of Google (formerly Stanford University) has said robotic vehicles would increase energy efficiency while reducing road injuries and deaths. And he has called for sophisticated systems for car sharing that, he says, could cut the number of cars in the United States in half.
Comments (3)
by jumbo
wow. automated driving car? that would be great car.
by rbwilli
Haha, I share Ralph’s enthusiasm and general impatience; bring on the self-driving cars!
by Ralph Dratman
This is great news — and anybody who points out that there will be some hazards and accidents needs to be reminded how staggeringly many accidents we now have, leading to how many deaths. The question is, which system will have fewer injuries and fatalities, and I think I can guess the answer.
Now, if Google would please speed also up their neural search interface project (I assume they have one) so I can start using unobtrusive hands-free search while walking around, maybe with a small glasses-mounted display or possibly a direct-to-brain text-only interface.
C’mon guys, I’m not asking for brain video right now! I will be happy to wait for that upgrade… in, say, six months. Hell, even if it’s a year, I promise to be patient.
Meanwhile, I’ll take practically anything as a first version — beta electrodes, whatever — but I need it NOW!