Internet giant Google has given a glimpse of the first self driven car and the prototype was unveiled recently. The design hasn’t changed much from the first prototype which was first shown in 2010, that did not even have working headlights.
This was the first initiative to come from what would eventually become the Google X research and development lab. The smart eyewear Google Glass and nanoparticles for cancer detection are the other audacious projects the lab is currently working on. The efforts come as Google continues to aggressively expand outside its dominant search business and seek alternative revenue streams.
The company has been working on both typical car parts, like steering and breaking, and the engineering required to make the car able to drive itself, such as the sensors inside and the computer that will power it. All of those systems have come together in the first working version of the car to be unveiled.
The steering wheel and pedals will eventually be removed; Google said when it announced the project in May. It hopes that eventually the inside of the car will just be two seats, seatbelts, a place for luggage, buttons to start and stop the car and a screen that shows the route.
Google will continue to test the car and their safety drivers will continue to oversee the vehicle for a while longer, using temporary manual controls as needed.
