Google’s
Self Driving Car Brings Excitement and Concern
By:
Briana Keo-Williams and Mallory Hoffbeck
Google
released their self-driving car project in 2010 but two years and a series of
sensors later you have one of the first self-driving cars in Nevada.This
revolutionary car can only be driven in certain areas and must have two
passengers at all times. You may think this is something straight out a sci fi
movie and might look like some BMW ZX-6 or a Peugeot Ozone but in this case it
looks like a light green Toyota Prius. The first man who had the pleasure of
“driving” this vehicle was legally blind Steve Mahan.
Self-driving
cars are a revolution in modern
technology, however there are many safety concerns about them.The main concern
is that they could lose control and be a potential danger to the passengers. In
various interviews with students and teachers, it was found that many people
shared this concern. Hayley Cummings shared that people could get hit if there
is no way to control the car , but more research could be done to make them
safer . Kristina Mokalla noted that there could be serious malfunctions because
of it complicated design “. Mrs. Bolanos ( 7 Blue Humanities teacher) said she
loved the idea but she would wait about Ten years so they could get all the
glitches out. Though the thought of unmanned cars driving among normal cars is
nerve wracking, but they can prove to be quite safe and consumer friendly if
willing to take the slight risk. Google’s model has driven over 200000 miles
without any malfunctions or accidents.
Over
98% of car accidents come from human error, and Self driving cars would
eliminate it. These cars could assist handicapped people by not requiring the
use of hands, eyes,ears or feet. This would be a huge advance in handicapped
people’s access to everyday activities such as shopping or other errands. The
army would also benefit from the use of unmanned cars.
In traffic
these cars proved to be a disappointment by being a little “too safe”.
They stopped abruptly behind other cars
in front of it, and moved very slowly on the roads. Of course, a passenger must
always be riding in the car to drive it in case of a malfunction but for people with disabilities this is a
setback. Several people shared that self driving cars have more benefits than
classic cars. Jaume Martinez said that they would be good to help minimize
drunk driving, because people wouldn’t have to risk driving a car while they
are drunk.When asked if he would buy one of these vehicles he said “Of course I
would.” . Kristina Mokalla added that they would be a much needed help to
people with disabilities. There are many concerns about these cars, but also
many positive reasons why they are a great addition to modern technology.
On
Wednesday,May 23 2012 a Google spokesman in Germany issued this statement.
“As we have
previously said, we did not want this payload data and we never used it in any
of our products in Germany or anywhere else in the world.More generally, we
have been working with privacy commissioners in Germany and around the world
and will continue to answer their questions and concerns.”
Google does
not intend to start selling these vehicles, they are only developing the
hardware. The making of their first car was meant just as an experiment and for
research purposes. Many other companies are making cars that drive themselves,
also called autonomous cars, so google might not be alone. GM has created a
“wireless communication device” for their self driving cars and says their
vehicles will be ready in the next decade.Cadillac has created the “Super
Cruise” and GM says they will be on sale in as little as three years but
Toyota, Ford, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are
probably not far behind on the technology.
There are
still so many questions to be asked like:
○
Will they
avoid traffic?
○
How do they
function?
○
What are
insurances company going to do?
○
Who gets
the profit? the car company or Google
○
Are they
worse on the environment? Are they better?
The list
goes on.
“We don’t
want to make cars. That’s not our interest.”
“All
options are open. From giving the technology away to licensing it to working
with (suppliers), working with (automakers) building a car with them —
everything is open — and we’re trying to figure out which paths make the most
sense.”says Anthony Levandowski.
A classroom poll revealed that most
people still do not trust the technology. The ratio of people who supported the
vehicles was surprisingly small, being only 6:13. Several students also said
they did not care about the revolutionary new technology, which surprised the
reporters. Some were totally against it, not just for safety reasons. They said
they wanted to experience driving, and not just have a computer do it for them,
which is a common comment.
Though it looks nearly normal, it is still easy to spot a Google self
driving car. The car is equipped with a spinning radar on top, cameras and
sensors on the front and back, a computer set up inside, and of course,
Google’s very own logo on the side. The car can tell when it is about to bump
into something from the sensors and radar. A human passenger must ride in it at
all times, but the car proves very trustworthy. An experiment was done where a
Google engineer and a blind man named Steve Mahan drove to daily errands in the
car.
Imagine a
world with only self driving cars and no “normal” cars .There would be no need
for traffic lights because there would be no traffic. No more traffic and only
1/50 of the accidents we see every day. Until that time we stick with what we
got, with autonomous cars popping up everywhere who knows what’s next.
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