It seems that the Google car has managed to drive impressively for the Department of Motor Vehicles in Nevada, awarding it a driver’s license. That’s right, Google’s autonomous car is the world’s first vehicle to legally be approved for driving on US roads with no human intervention required.

Not too long ago we saw a test where a blind man went through Taco Bell using the Google car, and now it’s licensed. Of course the project is still a long way from making its way over to your local car dealership. What is clear is that this is the beginning of a shift in the way we do things, and the first step to an age where automated appliances and vehicles are as commonplace in a household role as computers and cellphones are today.

Part of what I like about these current cars is that they still have a manual mode. The idea of a computer error causing a car crash still has me a little worried, and I personally hope that when they become commonplace on the road they still require at least the PRIMARY driver to have a license. Imagine an age when no one actually knows how to operate a vehicle themselves, maybe I’m being old fashioned, but that thought is at least a little scary. Otherwise, this is a cool concept that will certainly take ‘cruise control’ to a whole new level.

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You’ve seen it before in movies like Total Recall and iRobot, self-driving cars sound cool, you can get trashed with your friends then not worry about driving home later that night.  But there’s much more to this than an inebriated night out with the boys, people with disabilities such as the visually impaired could use self-driving cars to open up an whole new world that would allow them to go where they wish freely and independently.

Google recently uploaded a video showing Steve Mahan, a legally blind man, behind the wheel. The video had this man stop at Taco Bell for a bite to eat and gave a great demo of just what self-driving technology could mean for the future.

Earlier this month, Google’s driverless car program inspired new legislation in California that open up the path to legalizing such driverless vehicles. Is this program ready for a wide release on the road? Not yet, but it’s interesting to see it heading in the right direction and truly could open up doors for those that currently rely on a driver or assistant to take them to locations. Perhaps it also could mean the end of the chauffeur in another few decades? We’ll see.

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AutoNOMOS Labs in Germany have developed a system that allows someone to drive a car using their mind. The system uses censors to measure the brain’s electromagnetic signals. The measurements are interpreted as patterns by a computer. The driver puts on a sensor cap and trains the computer to recognize their brain patterns. The computer software learns to associate two different brain patterns with left or right directions. And voilà, brain control.

Once the driver has got a sensor cap on, they are able to give commands to an autonomous car. The car has video cameras, radars and laser sensors that give the car a 360 degree view of its surroundings. The car is able to drive itself to the end of an intersection, and then the driver can command the car to turn left or right – with their brain.

The researchers were able to teach the computer to recognize four brain patterns – right, left, accelerate or decelerate. There was a small delay between the brain commands and the steering action, which would of course compromise split-second decisions required by the driver in a dangerous situation. Plus, what happens when those disjointed thoughts in your head inadvertently cause the car to listen to you?

The researchers caution that there is a long way to go before we are able to command cars with out brains. They were also testing the car in a large, open area without distractions like drivers who cut you off, and cause you to think something not so nice that your car might take literally.

[via iEEE, CNN]

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