Google has revealed the design of its first own-brand self-driving car and the most notable feature on the miniature vehicle is the lack of steering wheel.
Despite already rigorously testing its self-driving car technology across other vehicles from establish car brands, this will be the company’s first attempt at leaving the technology entirely in its own hands without a backup driver.
Resembling something that would have been seen in Japan in the early 2000s, the car during testing is flanked on both sides by Google’s handlers just in case there are any potential mishaps.
However, the car actually features a more improved array of sensors and technology than before, with the ability to see what’s around it at a distance of two American football pitches, and claims to have almost no blind spots.
Google hopes to get the bubble cars on the road, literally speaking. One hundred prototypes are in development and should do little to strike fear into any cars or pedestrians in its path, as it includes a kill-switch if a malfunction should ever occurred, and a top speed is only 40kph.
Speaking of its latest creation at the Code Conference in California, Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin said, “The project is about changing the world for people who are not well-served by transportation today. There’s not great public transportation in many public places in the United States.”
