All You Need To Know About Google’s Self Driving Cars

A number of researchers, technology companies and automakers including Toyota, Honda, Lyft, Tesla and Ford among others are striving to make a fully self driving car that is commercially viable to the market. However, Google happened to be the first to unveil a prototype of the autonomous car. The self-driving car is built with no steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedals. It doesn’t require a driver, rather the passenger gets into the car, types or speaks the location into the interface of the vehicle and let it drive to the destination. With an invention like this, you can bet self drive in Uganda and many other African countries will be revolutionized.

What is a self driving car?

A fully self driving vehicle, also known as a driverless or autonomous car is designed with ability to sense its environment and move safely without intervention of a driver. Its appearance looks like something in between a Nissan Micra and a Smart car. There are no legally operating fully autonomous cars currently but partially autonomous vehicles exist in the United States. They have varying amounts of self-autonomation, for example conventional cars with brake and lane assistance and self driving prototypes.

Who built the car?

Waymo, a subsidiary to the parent company of Google known as Alphabet Inc was the first company to reach the level of producing a commercial self driving car service which operated fully without drivers to control it. Google started the self driving car project in 2008 and designed it from the very beginning starting with the sensors and a frame to join them, adding an appropriate cabin plus a body shell. The name of the project changed to itWaymo in 2016.

In November 2017, fully self driving cars which were confirmed to be safe and advanced on the road tested on public roads.  

Where are self driving cars?

The car primarily operates around Mountain View in California where Google is headquartered. However, the vehicles were also allowed to test on the public roads of some US states including California, Nevada, Florida, Michigan, Virginia and Washington, DC.  

How does it work?

The combination of sensors and software helps to navigate, control and ensure movement of the car. The self driving car is made with advanced control systems to interpret sensory information which recognizes appropriate navigation paths, obstacles, people, cars, road signages and traffic lights. It can as well identify road works and maneuver around them safely.

is powered by an electric motor with about a 100 mile range and a GPS is used to get its rough location where radar, lasers and cameras monitor the car’s surrounding.

What does this car do?

A self driving car carries two people (has 2 seats) from one location to another without driver interaction. The passenger orders for the car using a smart phone and it picks them up from their location to the set destination. The car has a start button and a big red button for an emergency stop. It also has a screen in front of the passenger which shows the current speed and weather and displays a message to remind you to pick all your property at the end of the journey.  

It is said that different cars are at varying levels of self driving and have been described by researchers on a of 0-5; Level 0 where humans control all major systems, level 1 where some of the systems like automatic braking or cruise control can be controlled by the car each separately, level 2, the car has two simultaneous functions but needs human interaction to safely operate it. A car at Level 3 can manage all safety major functions under specific conditions and the driver can take over when required. At level 4, the car is fully autonomous in certain driving situations and at level 5 the car is a complete self driving vehicle in every scenario.

The arrival of Google’s self driving car is the reason to hope that the technology is promising. With this, you can surely believe that cars at level 4 autonomy are coming soon.

Are you interested in knowing more about Google’s self driving cars besides the above facts? Get in touch with our travel experts through info@rentcaruganda.com and discuss more. You can also request for car rental services if you are planning to travel in Uganda, Rwanda this season.