Google Self-Driving Car: Five Interesting New Milestones

Too tired to drive your car on around busy metropolitan streets after a hectic day at work? How about just letting Google Self-Driving car take you home as you rest comfortably on your seat?

According to a new post from Google blog, the internet giant's autonomous car has already made some interesting new milestones over the year.

1. Google self-driving car has mastered city driving. The prototype of this autonomous car has already hit the busy city streets in Google's hometown in Mountain View, California. the driverless car has successfully adhered to street lights or stop signs of crossing guard, skillfully parked on limited space, or safely navigate from pedestrians and other vehicles that possibly block the lane view.

2. Google self-driving car has travelled over 700,000 autonomous miles. With thousands of mileage racked within the four-year span since the project inception, the autonomous car can already well anticipate the different scenarios along the busy city streets. That's actually like circumnavigating every single square mile around Queensland.

3. Google self-driving car has improved software. With this new milestone, the driverless car can simultaneously detect and keep track different moving objects and signals along the busy city streets. For instance, it can pick up the hand signal of a cyclist which is about to make a turn, the cue from a jaywalking pedestrian, or the sudden appearance of another car from concealed driveways.

4. Google self-driving car never blinks an eye or sleep along the road. Unlike human drivers which has the tendency to close their eyes when sleepy or produce sweat in their hands amidst difficult street situations, the autonomous car does not rest or gets tired or distracted. It is always focused on driving safely towards the programmed destination.

5. Google self-driving car is closer to its goal of fewer driving accidents and full operation of humanless driving. Engineers at Google X Lab where the prototype is developed are working hard to make this futuristic innovation 100% feasible. As Google Director for Self-Driving Car Project Chris Urmson puts it: "Every passing mile we're growing more optimistic that we're heading toward an achievable goal-a vehicle that operates fully without human intervention."

Watch the Youtube video of the Google self-driving car navigating through the streets near the Googleplex.