GOOGLE TESTING SELF DRIVING CARS

Google has been testing artificially intelligent cars that drive themselves.  Using a combination of sensors, cameras and radar, these cars will be able to drive themselves and be "aware" of obstacles, traffic lights and speed limits.  Theoretically, robot cars will help reduce traffic congestion since they will be able to travel much closer together.  But don't get your hopes up to high, the Google team behind the project says it will be at least eight years before anything is ready for consumers.

The New York Times saw one of these cars in action and said:

A Prius equipped with a variety of sensors and following a route programmed into the GPS navigation system nimbly accelerated in the entrance lane and merged into fast-moving traffic on Highway 101, the freeway through Silicon Valley.
It drove at the speed limit, which it knew because the limit for every road is included in its database, and left the freeway several exits later. The device atop the car produced a detailed map of the environment.
The car then drove in city traffic through Mountain View, stopping for lights and stop signs, as well as making announcements like "approaching a crosswalk" (to warn the human at the wheel) or "turn ahead" in a pleasant female voice.

There will still be a driver sitting behind the wheel who can disengage the robot at any time by pushing a red button, turning the steering wheel or hitting the brakes.  Here is how the system will work:

Click the image to enlarge

[Gizmodo]