XPost: oc.general, ba.politics, alt.politics.radical-left   
   XPost: sbay.education   
   From: wrd@google.com   
      
   Google’s self-driving cars are doing their part to keep this   
   Texas city weird.   
      
   Google’s self-driving cars and Austin, Texas, residents are   
   getting to know each other. And so far, the relationship has   
   been a symbiotic one—or at least an accident-free one.   
      
   Google  GOOG -3.31%  has been navigating its autonomous-driving-   
   equipped Lexus RX450h SUVs through Austin for about two months   
   without any accidents, according to the company’s August report   
   released Tuesday.   
      
   Aside from a few adjustments—horizontal street signs and a lot   
   more deer—the overall conditions in Austin are similar to   
   Mountain View, Calif., where Google has tested its cars since   
   2009, the company says.   
      
   One of Google’s Lexus SUVs was involved in an accident in   
   Mountain View in August, according to the report. A Google car   
   was rear-ended Aug. 20 as it stopped for a pedestrian in a   
   crosswalk. A driver behind the Google self-driving car had been   
   busy merging and failed to see the vehicle stop in time. In its   
   report, Google notes how self-driving cars are designed to “see”   
   and anticipate these types of events:   
      
   “This is a great example of an everyday driving situation that’s   
   difficult for humans because it demands 360 degree attention,   
   lots of quick calculations, and nuanced action, all in fractions   
   of seconds—which is what a computer is really good at.”   
   Google has 23 Lexus RX450h SUVs self-driving on public streets   
   in Mountain View and Austin. The company also has 25 two-seater   
   prototypes, five of which are self-driving in Mountain View.   
   These prototype cars, which look more like gumdrops on wheels,   
   are coming to Austin later this month.   
      
   Google vehicles have now been involved in 16 collisions, 12 of   
   them rear-enders, during more than 2 million miles of autonomous   
   and manual driving. Google’s self-driving cars have never been   
   the cause of a collision, the company says.   
      
   It’s been a busy summer for Google’s self-driving car team. The   
   company unleashed a self-driving car with no pedals or steering   
   wheel, but lots of sensors and software, in June. The two-seater   
   vehicle is equipped with the same software used in Google’s   
   previous generation of self-driving Lexus vehicles. For now,   
   Google will equip the cars with removable steering wheels,   
   accelerator pedals, and brake pedals so test drivers can take   
   over driving if necessary (and to comply with California   
   regulations).   
      
   In July, the company began testing its outfitted Lexus RX450h   
   sport-utility vehicles in Austin, marking the first time since   
   Google launched the self-driving car project in 2009 that the   
   company has conducted extended testing outside of California.   
   Except for the occasional demo, the company has primarily tested   
   its software in Mountain View.   
      
   Google plans to introduce self-driving cars by 2020. Automakers   
   are also in a race to develop self-driving tech that will turn   
   drivers into passengers. Audi, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz, Ford  F -   
   0.58% , and Tesla  TSLA -4.19%  are developing autonomous   
   driving features. Audi, Bosch, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz unit,   
   Delphi Automotive, Google, and Nissan have permits through a   
   California Department of Motor Vehicles program to test self-   
   driving cars.   
      
   A number of automakers have ramped up efforts over the past   
   year. Ford lifted the veil on its self-driving car project in   
   June, Audi’s autonomous car took five journalists on a cross-   
   country road trip, and GM’s Chevrolet unveiled one of its most   
   unusual concept cars to date—a fully autonomous electric muscle   
   car. Tesla’s 7.0 version of software, which has been released to   
   beta testers, will include a complete overhaul to the user   
   interface, the addition of auto steering, and an app that allows   
   you to summon your car akin to the 1980s television series   
   Knight Rider.   
      
   http://fortune.com/2015/09/01/google-self-driving-car-report-   
   austin/   
         
   --   
   Do no evil.   
      
   Well, now that we have lots of money and can pay lawyers - fuck   
   that.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)