[nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?

[Beth Wright]

Hi, Sherry.

I know it's been a while since we started this project, but just remember 
that the Virginia Tech team was the only one that would work with us, even 
though there were quite a few groups trying to develop self-driving cars. 
Maybe if this one works out, Google might be more interested.

Beth Wright
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 5:32 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?


>I have people in my life who drive. I know how much they have to 
>concentrate on to get from point A to point B. I just don't understand how 
>tactile and auditory feedback is going to help us focus on maybe 15 
>different things at once. A car that is programmed and takes you from point 
>A to point B makes a lot more sense to me. It is a car that could appeal to 
>all! Again, I think working with Google would be a real plus for NFB. But 
>what do I know and if being first is really the most important thing then 
>....
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bryan Schulz" <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 5:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?
>
>
>> because the nfb wants to be first and wants the credit
>> Bryan Schulz
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 3:56 PM
>> Subject: [nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?
>>
>>
>>>I really think this is more what we are looking for. This is a car 
>>>"anyone" could "drive". Google has lots of resources. Why don't we jump 
>>>on their bandwagon?
>>>
>>> Sherri
>>>
>>> Google is testing cars that drive themselves  Google announced Sunday
>>>   that it has developed cars that drive themselves
>>> automatically in traffic, and that it has been testing them on the
>>> streets of California for months. It might seem like an unusual project
>>> for Google, but it  could actually have big benefits.
>>> We're not just talking about cars running Google Android.
>>> This is the stuff of science fiction. The only accident that has
>>> occurred so far: One of the cars was rear-ended by a driver at a stop
>>> light. Human error!
>>>
>>> The vehicles have been tested on 140,000 miles of California road, from
>>> Silicon Valley to Santa Monica.
>>>
>>> Each car is manned during the tests. One person sits in the driver's
>>> seat, ready to take control of the vehicle instantly by grabbing the
>>> wheel or touch the brake should something go wrong with the system. The 
>>> person in the
>>> passenger's seat is an engineer who monitors the software operations on 
>>> a
>>> computer.
>>>
>>> Google (Google) hired engineers who previously participated in
>>> competitions and races involving automated cars -- important turning
>>> points in the development of the technology, which has been coming into 
>>> its own since around 2005 according to The New York Times.
>>>
>>> If your first concern is one of safety, Google would argue that you're
>>> going about it all wrong.
>>>
>>> Safety is one of the the project's purposes. Google believes that the
>>> technology could nearly half the number of automobile-related deaths
>>> because computers are supposedly
>>> better  at driving than humans in the right circumstances.
>>>
>>> There are other hypothetical pluses, too. The vehicles' instant reaction
>>> time and 360-degree awareness would allow them to drive closer together
>>> on the highway than humans can, reducing traffic congestion. They could 
>>> be more
>>> careful when operating the gas, reducing fuel consumption.
>>>
>>> But the biggest benefit for Google would be the hour or so of daily
>>> commute time the car owner would save. Instead of driving, he or she
>>> could either be productive or entertained in the vehicle, doing work on 
>>> a wireless
>>> Internet (Internet) connection or watching television.
>>>
>>> Google doesn't say it explicitly, but TechCrunch was
>>> quick to note that this time could be spent using Google products and 
>>> absorbing
>>> Google-run advertising.
>>>
>>> The most optimistic projections put this technology at least eight years
>>> away from market, though. Legal hassles are among the myriad problems;
>>> all of the current traffic laws assume that a human driver is present in 
>>> the vehicle
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>>
>>
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