SF News – Nevada has just issued a license to a car without a driver. The Google driverless car is equipped with an autopilot system that can navigate the car without the intervention of a human driver.
The innovative car that has been introduced by Google, doesn’t need anyone behind it to hit the road. This can be the ultimate advancement in cruise control; a self-driving car coming to the streets.
Nevada is the first state in United States to allow these vehicles to operate in its streets. It is said that Florida may soon follow.
The technology is already used in passenger airplanes as automatic navigation system. If the human driver grabs the steering wheel or steps on the brake, he or she can take control of the vehicle just as a cruise control system would work. The car uses cameras to spot traffic lights in the streets.
Currently, the Nevada state requires that a backup driver or passenger be present during its operation.
The car is still a prototype and is not expected to be used widely for another ten years.
The automobile technology has surely come a long way since the invention of the wheel some 6000 years ago and since the founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry ford developed his first steam car factory in 1947. But there has been one element throughout all these years that has been inseparable from any type of these vehicles and that has been a human controller (a driver).
In recent years many of the tasks that were originally the responsibility of the driver has been taken away. That, as examples, include the automatic transmission replacing manual, the cruise control system that releases drivers from holding on same posture during long drives and the most advance help to drivers has been the introduction of the GPS system.
But all these technologies up until now have been there to aid the driver of the car and not to replace him or her.
The automatic navigation system, while at early stages, has been a dream for those who love science fiction. While the core technology has already been in use in naval ships and in the skies by pilots, implementation of the technology on the ground faces many obstacles.
For one thing, passengers of the car need to come to trust it. After all they are going to be in a lot of danger of the system, for any reason, fails to operator as expected.
