Google’s Self Driving Car Brings Excitement and Concern

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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