Video narrated by Sebastian Thrun, Google driverless car developer
This week the state of Nevada is finalizing new rules that will make it possible for robotic self-driving cars to receive their own special driving permits starting March 1st. Designed with an $80,000 cone-shaped laser mounted on its roof, radars on the front, back and sides as well as detailed maps. Artificial intelligence software then navigates through and around other vehicles and pedestrian traffic. Google's fleet of robotic cars has already driven more than 200,000 miles throughout California and Nevada without incident (well, one accident was reported when a Google vehicle stopped at a red light was rear-ended by a human driver).
Autonomous cars may be years from mass production, but software companies, vehicle manufacturers and universities all are racing to develop technology they hope will soon become standard.
Nevada may be leading the way with their new legislation, but Hawaii, Oklahoma and Florida are not far behind.
Read More: 'When the car Is the Driver' by Steve Henn
