A First Drive

Fully autonomous driving has always been the goal of our project, because we think this could improve road safety and help lots of people who can't drive. We're now developing prototypes of vehicles that have been designed from the ground up to drive themselves—just push a button and they'll take you where you want to go! We'll use these vehicles to test our software and learn what it will really take to bring this technology into the world.

[jellyboy]

being a guy with no arms or legs this gives me hope that one day in the future i will have freedom to travel on my own, i hope to visit the seaside on my own and watch the boats.

[DeviousZen]

I wonder what happens if the car asks me where I want to go, and I tell it, "I'm feeling lucky."

[leonardbrinkman]

I'm blind in one eye myself. Basically I'm legally blind. But I can tell you that being blind and also a senior citizen will one day give me the freedom to get in a self-driving car and move around. Because I can tell you this much right now it's going to be a while before that happens but what I'm saying is that's what their intentions are right now and back in those days in 2009 and 2010 when they started using those Little koala cars to do all that? It was a real honor for a blind man who actually started this. That's right a totally blind man who actually started this whole thing. And now when I'm hearing is that it won't be long now before I be blind and disabled person will be able to use a self-driving car to get around in. And what that means is that we won't be able to pay for a bus or a Link light rail train to get us anywhere. Because of all that money can be saved by us having a fully self-driving vehicle. Especially a little koala car. Basically what that means is a little two-seater would basically do just fine. And what that would do for me is it would change my life forever. And what I mean is it will change my life forever! But the only way they're going to have to get me into one of those things is that they would have to send out a mobility instructor to basically train some of us to do that. Just like they had a mobility instructor in training me to use a cane. So think of having a self-driving car as your own personal cane to ride around then. It would be great for me and it would be great for everyone else. But we will see what happens when this all comes down the pike. Because I can tell you this right now it could happen somewhere in between 2025 and 2030. That's why I can't wait.

[vGhost]

If Apple made a car, would it have Windows?




Best joke ever 6/5

[MysteryGuitarMan]

I can't wait until I can buy one!

[kmsgero]

This is just incredible. Congrats to the team. I work with seniors who have individually decided to give up driving to protect themselves and others. Sadly, it increasing isolation for these folks because they often can't navigate public transit, don't have access to transit or are unable to actually get to the closest bus or metro stop. This would reopen the world for so many! I am a fan.

[HolgerJakobs]

I would think it also solves some other problems. You could send the car to pick up someone or something. After having gone to the airport you could send the car home avoiding high parking fees; and when coming back it could come to pick you up again. All it needs for that would be a remote control. Even for car sharing it would offer a lot of advantages because you wouldn't have to search for the nearest available car, but it would come to meet you where you want.

[DarkW]

I have incredibly bad driving anxiety. 22 years and no license (well, yet). This would be a godsend.

[StarLogo]

To everyone complaining about it making people lazy. You should consider drunk drivers, under influence of drug drivers, blind people, mentally disabled/challenged, people who can't drive because of missing limbs and the big common one elderly. All those people can get places they need to without killing everyone around them due to their inability to drive safely.
Food for thought.

[eljkhhjk]

I'm not sure about anyone else here but I ENJOY driving a car. You have complete control over your vehicle, the speed you drive, how you take the corners, etc.. And when you're driving in a neighborhood that is familiar to you, you just might be used to seeing a group of preschoolers that walk a little to far out on the road coming home from school and know to slow down before you take the corner. A machine will never be able to overcome human instinct and judgement, the world is not a computer and it can't be run like one.

[Kissarai]

I am going to buy this as soon as it's affordable. And street legal. Yes. I'll never pay for parking again! Drop me off at the gate and drive home, car!

[PeytonHelmProductions]

This is an amazing idea for people who are disabled, very old, or people who can't drive in general, but I would rather drive my car.

[antonavdeev]

Здорово! Этот автомобиль моя мечта лет так уже 20! Я так понимаю все кто тут пишет коментарии, являются как минимум водителями, получившима права, имеющие стаж вождения! но есть такие люди как мы инвалиды по зрению, мы в силу своих ограничений никогда несможем получить права на управление автомобиля, мы никогда несможем сесть за руль автомобиля:( увы:(
А этот автомобиль сможет сделать лично мою жизнь более независимой, Автомобиль который сможет меня довести от туда где я нахожусь в то место куда мне необходимо в то время когда у меня в этом есть потребность, это очень и очень хорошо!!!
Я готов организовать службу такси в своём городе, на базе этих автомобилей, так как эта услуга сможет быть дешевле, а следовательно доступнее инвалидам, которые не ограничены в том числе в средствай!
Очень и очень здорово, что появился такой автомобиль!
Большой почёт и уваажение разработчикам этой технологии!!!

[NHLFrenzy]

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I love driving. There's no way I'd replace a hobby with this. That said, I'd be curious to see how traffic would work with a combination of self driving cars and normal drivers. How would a self driving car know that I'm trying to change lanes and it's blocking me?

[ligerwolf]

Awe.. that little boy holding his mom's hand. So sweet. 

[Fosos]

All you people saying that this wouldn't work on a road, they modified a Prius and drove 4, 000 miles on back roads, highways, neighborhoods, rain and shine. Guess what? It got in one accident, a human driven car rear ended it, that's all. So I am 100% in support of self driving cars and it is clear this is the future

[CujoHyer]

As a 34 year old Legally Blind man who has had to live his life without a Driver's License... and suffer painfully.... all these years with the inability to get around on my own accord.... This gives me some sliver of hope that someday that will change.

I think my situation is ideal for this project. 

[sjparadiso]

I'm an emotional wreck after watching the young boy with the huge smile grab his mother's hand, along with what we learn is a visibly-impaired gentleman, holding the arm of the young man, leading him to the car. Bravo Google, bravo!

[Ilikethelakers]

First thing I thought was, go hack the car....

[SpiritofSix]

I really enjoy how everyone says that "the future is now" whenever a new technology or discovery is made--it has always been this way. Each generation or era had something that made them feel like they were part of the future, part of a big change in how things were being done. The secret is that we are always progressing, ever so slowly, as a human race.

I talk about our perception of the world and how it ties into our progress as people. Check it out if you're interested, I won't let ya down. Good day to you all:)
Let's learn from one another and keep trying to improve.