Google Takes a Step Closer to Skynet With Robot Car Patent

Google Takes a Step Closer to Skynet With Robot Car Patent

Earlier this week, Google was granted a patent for a method of controlling a “mixed-mode autonomous vehicle”. But from here on out let’s call this “mixed-mode autonomous vehicle” what it is: a freaking robot car.

Google has been developing this technology for some time. Back in the fall of 2010, the company was testing out robot cars (with trained operators inside to intervene if something went awry) around its Mountain View campus and the surrounding areas. These robot cars logged some 140,000 miles and used a combination of video cameras, radar technology, and laser range finders to do so without crashing into other cars, people, or objects.



The patent appears to be the fruit of that labor. The abstract includes mention of a robot car that can switch between autonomous mode and manual (ie, human-driven) mode, stop at a pre-defined place called a landing strip, and receive instructions via a URL.

It’s impossible to say when we might see a robot car on the open market. This kind of thing will have tremendous hurdles to overcome before the typical consumer can buy one. Assuming Google actually nails the technology on this, there will still be endless governmental red tape over safety and practicality, negotiations with vehicle manufacturers, protest groups, and legislators that will tie things up as long as possible.

Until then, just imagining how you could sip your coffee, handle the morning’s emails, and check up on the latest headlines (or just take a nap) on your daily commute without jeopardizing anyone’s safety will have to sustain you.
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Do you really think these will be allowed in the cities? Its going to cause a whole lot of troubles :D

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I must say this is where Google will take over, the MAN will but his foot down and Google will give him the 'ol 1 2 K.O.

and BAM say good bye to United States of America and say hello to United States of Google or even better Google Empire, oh it has a nice ring to it, right?

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K walsh lay off the weed bro. everyone wants to have an autonomous car. truckers would be obsolete. what would happen then!! google is like a hub for my ideas.

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Its a start but, just think when the system fails = pure epicness! 

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I don't see these being used for regular street driving, but it could be used when entering a large parking lot or structure....where the system would take over and drive the car to the nearest available parking spot.

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I've constantly imagined something like this except for use in taxis and buses. Even though I dislike the fact that Google is behind this, I find it really good that something like this can come to fruition; maybe in a few years when all of the kinks are worked out we can have buses and taxis that drive themselves to their destination. Least judgement day happens in a few years.

Seriously, self driving cars could be a huge benefit to taxi businesses.

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In the movie Total Recall, Arnold rips out the robot driver from his taxi because the robot was clueless as to where Arnold wanted him to go. I sorta envision a day where you can just hop in a taxi and tell the computer your destination via voice commands, and you'll be charged just for the trip.... no getting ripped off.. or taking the longer, more costly scenic routes.

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So...Seth is ignorant on both what patents are, and cultural reference as it pertains to what Skynet is. Yup.he's a blogger all right! That's why he doesn't actually EARN a living with his writing.

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So I can see these things restricted to a maximum speed limit until they get to their ~Auto-Car Only~ lanes where they haul-azz by everyone and their traffic jams.

This will happen, I'm just not too sure when it will.

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This will be interesting to see how it all comes about.

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I don't mind an automobile with an "auto-pilot" mode trigger in case the driver becomes incapacitated for some reason, but a fully robotic vehicle I'm unsure of. We'll see how this unfolds.

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Well it certainly seems that the google will be the ones ushering in independent automobiles. It may take a while to have that as Toyota repair is their model.but they already seem quite far forward.

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