We know that Google wants to dominate in our activities of the day, but there was one that was missing, the clock, don't wait for that one,… I have it, the climate of my home, not that one too. Sure, the car! That's right, one more time another of his revolutionary creations is the car what is developing before it was patented and developed by Apple that among its characteristics are being a fully automated vehicle, without pedals or steering wheel. And the best thing is that it flies! Well, no, but right now I'll explain what it's about.
No steering wheel or pedals?
It all started in 2009 when it began as one more experiment, with the intention of circulating on highways and cities without the need for a person to drive it. Testing began a year and a half ago near its headquarters in Mountain View. Later, with a person inside. In total, they have more than 10.000 miles controlled and 1.000 in places with traffic difficulties. In recent months it has been the workers themselves who have joined a pilot program to go to work in one of these models.
Urmson, whose training is focused on the programming of machines and robotics, points out among the advantages of the con cohe the being able to enjoy the landscape, talk to someone, but above all, not suffer distractions while driving, because you no longer have to do it. “The priority is safety. The cars are going to have more cameras and sensors and will not go beyond 25 miles for now (40 kilometers). Still some unknowns remain, such as what happens if it breaks. Urmson answers on the other end of the phone to clarify that the car is connected to the Internet and that it is controlled remotely. The reality is that this can prevent its operation in areas with poor coverage.
Google Car
The manager refuses to say a specific moment for the launch, but does not hide his haste: “We want it to be as soon as possible. First, in California. We will expand the pilot program to more people, first in the next three months and then at the end of the year. We are optimistic, but we do not want to rush ”.
One of the uses, beyond the individual to travel to work, is that of customers to the stores. A user who gives his consent will be made an offer to buy something specific whose interest he has shown on the Internet or a nearby store. You are offered a car to get to the physical store and buy the object in question. In this case, Google, which has a better knowledge of the customer and charges a commission from the sale, benefits as much as the store, that once it has the buyer in its space it opens the door to additional sales. They shut down the criticism about the end of local commerce at the hands of the electronic one.
Urmson insists that this model is a prototype: “The car that finally hits the road will be more normal. We are aware that buying a car is the second most important home purchase, after the house. Now the laws need to go as fast as this revolution. California has already taken a very important step. We want to change this industry completely ”.
The manager does not clarify how much these vehicles will cost or if they will improve the range, which for now is 100 miles (161 kilometers). Nor who will be the companions on this journey, both in the motor industry and in added applications. The only name he cited was that of Lexus whose Internet connection share.
Among the shortcomings is that it does not respond to natural language. It understands directions, but little else. "The logical thing is that we advance in this field and it is similar to the experience with Google Now or Google Maps," he justifies.
User experience is being key to the best, especially fear management. Google wants to know when someone is suspicious, panicky or unhappy.
The purchase of Waze, an application born in Israel but with headquarters in Palo Alto in 2013, provides Google with great knowledge about drivers, traffic and also pedestrians. Waze provides real-time data on incidents, recommended routes and transit commercial services. Urmson recognizes its value: “We first focus on understanding how human beings drive. Waze is perfect because it helps you understand routines, preferences and black spots instantly. Soon it will also serve to make more accurate predictions. We don't use it much now, but its future potential is undeniable.”
It reads too fanciful to be real. Truth? Well, here is a video of this little magic car.