Left: Google’s prototype car. Right: the eventual final design. Google Traditionally, Google’s self-driving car prototypes have taken existing cars from manufacturers like Toyota and Lexus and bolted on the self-driving car components. This is less than ideal, since it limits the design possibilities of the car’s “vision” system and includes (eventually) unnecessary components, like a steering wheel and pedals. However, Google recently built a self-driving car of its own design, which had no human control system other than a “go” button. The California DMV has now thrown a speed bump in Google’s car design, though, in the form of new rules that require that all self-driving cars allow a driver to take “immediate physical control” if needed. The new law means Google’s self-designed car will need to have a steering wheel and gas and brake pedals any time it hits the public road. According to The Wall Street Journal , Google will comply with the law by building a “small, temporary steering wheel and pedal system that drivers can use during testing” into the prototype cars. The report says California officials are working on rules for cars without a steering wheel and pedals, but for now, a human control system is mandatory. Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments
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California DMV says Google’s self-driving car must have a steering wheel
