Seven years ago, Google started a project to pursue a futuristic idea: Develop cars with software so advanced that it could take over all the driving for humans. Today, not only are Google’s fleet of self-driving cars navigating complex conditions in four U.S. cities, an entire industry has exploded with startups and automakers clamoring to develop the same technology.
“In 2009 we were just this crazy research project working on a science fiction idea,” Dmitri Dolgov, head of Google’s self-driving technology, told Fortune. “And look at where we are today. ”
Google self-driving cars have logged 2 million fully-autonomous miles on public roads, 90% of which were on city streets, the company announced Wednesday. Considering the hours spent on the road, Google’s cars now have the equivalent of 300 years of human driving experience.
And that’s not counting the more than 3 million miles that self-driving car software “drives” every day in Google’s advanced simulator.
Google’s self-driving software is tested on modified Lexus RX450h SUVs as well as a prototype that it introduced in 2015 that is without pedals or a steering wheel, and instead relies on sensors and software. The prototype is equipped with a backup steering wheel and brakes when on public roads. Google hopes to commercialize its technology by 2020, giving the company a little more than three years to perfect its software, navigate complex and ever-evolving regulations, and launch its product.
Read More@ http://fortune.com/2016/10/05/google-self-driving-cars-milestone/
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