IAB Report - Self-driven Google car has no steering or brake pedal [Video]

28/05/2014 - 13:08 Google car, Industry News Karthik H

Technology giant Google has unveiled the first-ever prototype of its autonomous car. The two-seater car has been built from ground up and is not a car that has been retrofitted with Google's gadgets.

Google self-driven car front press image — Google's prototype has no steering wheel or brake pedals. It has seats for two, a start/stop button and a screen with a route map.

The car does not have any steering wheel, pedals or anything we associate with a car. The autonomous car gets a host of sensors that detect their way around everyday objects. The sensors allow the car to see anything that is up to 182 metres away - or two football fields as Google calls it - in all directions. Sensors also eliminate blind spots.

[Can't watch the video? Head to YouTube]

The car's interior takes the word minimalistic literally. There are two seats, with seatbelts, a small storage space, a start/stop button and a screen that shows the route map. The car's speed is capped at 25 mph/40 kph.

Google self-driven car banner — On the right is the artist's rendition and on the left is the actual prototype of Google's self-driven car.

Google says that it will build 100 prototypes and will test them in its home state of California, USA. The cars are designed to mimic defensive driving behaviour, which means that it will pause before the traffic lights turn green, stay far away from big trucks and, more importantly, give room to those cutting into lanes.

The company says it will need at least 2 more years of tests before even considering mass production.