[Nfbf-l] Nevada allows driverless cars

[REPCODDS at aol.com]

Nevada allows Google  to test driverless cars on public streets
 
 
 
The  Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has granted Google permission to 
begin  testing a fleet of driverless cars. Look for the red license  plates. 
By Matthew Shaer  / May 8, 2012  
·           
(http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0420-googlecar/12495429-1-eng-US/0420-googlecar_full_600.jpg)  
Google has received permission to begin testing driverless  cars in Nevada. 
Here, an image from the program that steers the cars,  courtesy of the 
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.  
_According_ 
(http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may/07/nevada-issues-google-first-license-self-driving-ca/)  to the _Las  Vegas Sun_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Las+Vegas+Sun) , _Google_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2012/0125/Google-speeds-toward-a-future-with-driverless-cars
)  has received permission from the _Nevada_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Nevada)  state _Department of Motor Vehicles_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Department+of+Motor+Vehicles)  to immediately begin testing a  
fleet of _driverless cars_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2012/0125/Google-speeds-toward-a-future-with-driverless-cars)  on public 
streets. The Sun says six  autonomous cars have been outfitted by the team at 
Google: six _Toyota  Priuses_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Toyota+Prius) , an _Audi TT_ (http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Audi+TT)   and a 
_Lexus_ (http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Lexus+Motor+Company)  RX450h. All 
the driverless cars will receive red  license plates, with an infinity symbol 
on the left of the plate.   
“I  felt using the infinity symbol was the best way to represent the car of 
the  future," Bruce Breslow, the director of the Nevada DMV, _said_ 
(http://www.dmvnv.com/news/12005-autonomous-vehicle-licensed.htm)  in a statement. 
"The unique red plate will be easily  recognized by the public and law 
enforcement and will be used only for  licensed autonomous test vehicles." 
So  should we be scared? Are hacker-controller robot cars about to overrun 
the  _United  States_ (http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/United+States) ?  
Breslow  said that Google's petition was approved only after a special DMV 
delegation  – apparently dubbed, in a nice Orwellian twist, the Autonomous 
Review  Committee – thoroughly reviewed the company's "safety plans, employee 
 training, system functions and accident reporting mechanisms." And each 
car  bristles with a range of sensors and computer equipment, which can  sense 
obstacles such as other cars, bicycles, and  guardrails.  
Furthermore,  as Sky News _notes_ 
(http://news.sky.com/home/technology/article/16223807) , the cars are not really driverless. At least  two Google 
employees will be required to sit in each vehicle. Those  employees have the 
ability to override the computer  controls.  
In  related news, the _Federal Aviation Administration_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Federal+Aviation+Administration)  recently _gave_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0629/Flying-Car-just-like-the-Jetsons-gets-gre
en-light-from-FAA-VIDEO)  official approval to a flying car – or "roadable  
aircraft" called the _Terrafugia_ 
(http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Terrafugia+Inc.) 's Transistion. It's all happening, folks:  Driverless cars, 
flying cars. 
Someone  go fetch _Astro_ 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Jetsons_characters#Astro) .  
Source:   The Christian Science Monitor 





-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 24210 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/attachments/20120513/ccc20157/attachment.jpg>