Google trials robot chauffeurs

Soon the use of a private chauffeur may not be restricted to the rich and famous as Google has come up with a concept which could change the way we travel forever. The organisation has recently confirmed their plans to create the world’s first self-driving car.

A prototype robot chauffeur created by Google has already been in use on roads in California and according to the bosses at Google, the self-driving vehicle has over 140,000 test drive hours under its belt.

The Toyota Prius has been used to experiment with the new concept. The vehicles have been driven using the robot chauffeur technology between Google’s head quarters in Mountain Valley, California, to the company’s other office in Santa Monica.

According to Google, the test drives have gone ahead successfully, with minimal human input. The cars were driven with a technician at the wheel in case of any technical issues. The only accident which was reported using a self-drove Google car came about as a result of another car driving into the rear of the vehicle while stopped at a set of traffic lights.

The software equips the vehicle with artificial intelligence which enables the car to stop, start, and turn without instruction from a human being. Google’s concept has the potential to revolutionise the way we use the roads as the search engine giant believes the use of the self-drive car would cut down on accidents, free up people’s time, and also help cut carbon emissions.