# Google cars now legally roaming on roads



## angelina23 (May 10, 2012)

Does Anyone knows any good website which can give me a detailed information about these cars.???


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## valis (Sep 24, 2004)

angelina23 said:


> Does Anyone knows any good website which can give me a detailed information about these cars.???


not off of the top of my head, but what info are you looking for?

and have you googled it?


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## TechGuy (Feb 12, 1999)

I was lucky enough to ride in one of these a year or so ago. It was a blast! (Although you should have seen the disclaimer I had to sign...  )











Here are some details on the project:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car


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## TheShooter93 (Jul 10, 2008)

> Although you should have seen the disclaimer I had to sign...


I could imagine.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

Do all other road users get the chance to sign a disclaimer. 
If it is not considered safe to travel inside it, how safe is it to be on the same road?


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## TheShooter93 (Jul 10, 2008)

> Do all other road users get the chance to sign a disclaimer.
> If it is not considered safe to travel inside it, how safe is it to be on the same road?


My theory is that an accident would play out like any other accident. Insurance information gathered, fault would be determined, and payments made.

Not that I'm ready for Skynet to take over or anything, but I do think this is pretty cool.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

I'm not ready to accept that the programmers have thought of everything.
I am/was a programmer of many years and I know how impossible it is to cater for/or even think of, all possibilities.
The human brain has an incredible capability to deal with situations that it has never seen before. I cannot see that in robots (yet).


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

I wonder if it's programmed for road rage if someone cuts it off.


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## TechGuy (Feb 12, 1999)

DaveBurnett said:


> The human brain has an incredible capability to deal with situations that it has never seen before. I cannot see that in robots (yet).


I guess that depends on the particular human brain you're comparing it to...


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## TheShooter93 (Jul 10, 2008)

> I'm not ready to accept that the programmers have thought of everything.


Neither am I, but I think that as long as it is shown to be safe in extensive testing, it shouldn't be a huge worry.

They just shouldn't run it on extremely busy or complicated roads.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

It's a lot like the assisted parking on some cars these days. I don't put a lot of faith in that. Than again, I don't put a lot of faith in humans parking either.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

> It's a lot like the assisted parking on some cars these days.


Watch two of those trying to park in the same space from opposite directions.........


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## valis (Sep 24, 2004)

DaveBurnett said:


> Watch two of those trying to park in the same space from opposite directions.........


don't need to. I can happily spend an afternoon watching my father attempt it by himself.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

The Google car (or any kind of assistance) might have come in handy here:


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## Ent (Apr 11, 2009)

DaveBurnett said:


> I'm not ready to accept that the programmers have thought of everything.
> I am/was a programmer of many years and I know how impossible it is to cater for/or even think of, all possibilities.
> The human brain has an incredible capability to deal with situations that it has never seen before. I cannot see that in robots (yet).


While the human brain is indeed very adept at learning, it isn't normally very good at assessing new situations quickly in an emergency. It tends to panic, and in that mental state doesn't do much better than a computer. Perhaps a simple rule (else applyBreaks()) would be more effective than "Eeek, what do I do now, *BOOOM*". Most importantly, there still has to be a qualified driver there. The real disaster won't come until the instance that a qualified human be ready for override is removed.

Still, I appreciate what you say about both computers and programmers.


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## TechGuy (Feb 12, 1999)

Ent said:


> The real disaster won't come until the instance that a qualified human be ready for override is removed.


The problem is that the second law Google was asking to get passed involved whether or not drivers could send text messages while behind the wheel of an autonomous car... And I think that was passed, too? Maybe someone can check on that for me...


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## WillPalm (May 21, 2012)

Every piece of technology at the beginning of commissioning shows unexpected fails.
Personally I can't imagine how Google is going to predict all possible situations for avoiding road accidents.
This task will need all the latest sync, gps, pc and many other technologies.


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## peter888 (May 25, 2012)

I have never seen a google car. How does it work...


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## TheShooter93 (Jul 10, 2008)

peter888 said:


> I have never seen a google car. How does it work...


Look at the first page of this thread, there are videos posted.


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