As we emerge into yet another new year, we look forward to the new technological wonders that it may bring. Some people are asking, “Where is my self-driving Google car?” Long promised by the internet giant, this automotive breakthrough is an attractive prospect for efficient roadways and reduced traffic accidents. Unfortunately, there are simply too many reasons that it will probably never come to be.
One of the harsh realities is that the Google car would have to run on a computer with a higher intelligence than any is currently capable of. While the company boasts of the over 700,000 miles that their car has safely driven, these represent the same few thousand miles around the Google headquarters that they have mapped out so far. With roughly four million miles of road to map out in the US, as well as the advanced object detection the machine needs to avoid obstacles, there is a long way to go.
So, for the time being, it would seem that we will all need to be satisfied with the occasional bit of human error on our roads. When this human error gets the best of your vehicle, bring it to our auto body shop in Seattle.