Nevada Gives Green Light to Google's Driverless Car
The hands-free vehicles use video cameras, lasers, and radar sensors to get around.
| Posted Tuesday, May 8, 2012, at 1:47 PM
Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images.
Ever wished someone, or something, else could drive you around? If you happen to be in Nevada, that just might be becoming a reality.
The Silver State’s DMV this week became the first in the nation to give Google a license to begin testing its driverless cars, which use a combination of GPS data, video cameras, lasers, and radar sensors to get around.
The catch: Nevada state law requires at least two people in the car—one behind the wheel and the other in the passenger’s seat as a safety precaution, according to the Las Vegas Sun. A human driver can take over control of the vehicle by turning the wheel or pressing on the brake.
DMV officials and higher-ups like Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval appear to be among the few non-Google staffers lucky enough to have taken a spin around in the hands-free vehicles to date. Sandoval described his 24-mile trip last July as "amazing," according to Time magazine.
But this latest innovation isn’t the only one of late in the auto world: General Motors recently revealed a self-driving feature that is in the works for its Cadillac line, according to another report from Time. And, as you may remember, flying cars debuted at the New York Auto Show last month.
Watch Google's self-driving car in action:
