Google has finally built its own car from scratch. A car that has no steering wheel or accelerator or even brake pedals. In fact, Google has been building self-driving cars for years, but what we have seen so far has always been retrofits of existing cars until now. The search giant unveiled on Tuesday a fully autonomous self-driving car, built from the ground up by Google and its partners.
Google's Co-Founder Sergey Brin said at the inaugural Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, that the project is about changing the world for people who are not well-served by transportation today. According to Google, it has not only to make the car look approachable to those worried about the security concerns that come from lack of a steering wheel, but has also to ensure that the vehicle remains with virtually no blind spots. Safety is for obvious reasons a big concern for Google or for that matter any car manufacturer. Sergey Brin explained that while the car does not have a steering wheel, accelerator or brakes, it does have more sensors in strategic spots than is possible in a regular vehicle. It is also equipped with a big "stop" button. In addition to all this tech, Google's autonomous car includes internal power steering and power brakes.
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The car has sensors that remove blind spots that enables it to detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions. This feature is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections. The car has two seats with seat-belts, a space for passengers' belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route. The company claims that it is looking forward to learn more about what passengers want in a vehicle where their primary job is to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
