Imagine getting into a car and being driven by the car, with no pedals or steering wheels in sight because they are unneccesary. That’s what Google has been working on for about six years—to design a self-driving car protype that rely on sensors and software to drive themselves.
The two-seater car model that has been released has an electric battery, and the speed—for now—is capped at 25 mph and designed for short distance travel. So while it would currently be time-consuming if you’re in a hurry, the car is great for those who aren’t able to drive a car themselves. Specially written software guides the vehicle without any human intervention, according to Google, while built-in sensors have been designed to detect objects as far as two football fields away in all directions, including pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles-or even fluttering plastic shopping bags and rogue birds, so the car will slow down and stop should any objects come in its path.
The car has been undergoing test driving sessions at Google’s private facility in central California and recently taken to real roads of Mountain View, California with safety drivers on board.
Watch what it’s like first hand to be driven by a car.
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