After movies like "Terminator," "I, Robot," or "Wall-E," one would believe that the greatest fear for computers and robots is self-awareness. But it's not -- at least not yet. No, the biggest fears are software glitches, system malfunctions, or mechanical failures. In fact, that has been one of the leading debates against the concept of autonomous vehicles.
Despite the concerns, Google has continued to move right along. Collectively, Google's dozen self-driving vehicles have successfully logged over 300,000 miles without a major catastrophic incident. Not a bad record, given the challenges, but Google is more than aware that there's a long way to go before the technology is ready for the consumers.
Advancing to the next phase of R&D, Google has now added the Lexus RX450h to its autonomous vehicle fleet. In addition, moving on from deploying a pair of vehicles at time, the new autonomous vehicles will begin to make their journeys solo. What's more, to truly challenge an autonomous vehicle's self sufficiency, Google will also test its vehicles in a variety of environments and terrains, including snow-covered roads as well as areas of heavy road work and construction obstacles.
When Google finally manages to perfect the technology, the world will benefit from digitally managed traffic flow that humans would never dream of. Even the blind or the disabled stand to gain newfound freedom and mobility. The question now is whether the technology will become the catalyst of a future machine uprising as well.
[Source: Google]
