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

[Brian Miller]

It's not just about being first, it's about patents -- the hope is that the
development of the technologies that would allow a blind guy to drive, such
as are being explored through the colaboration of the NFB and Virginia
Tech, will lead to patents that will generate income.  

Brian M

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Sherri
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 5:33 PM
To: NFB Talk Mailing List
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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