Google Says Its First Complete Self-Driving Car Prototype Is Ready For Road Tests

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In a move that will bring relief to cramped hands and lazy feet everywhere, Google says its first complete prototype for a self-driving car is ready to hit the road for testing. By next year, it could be tooling around the roads of California and freaking out people who believe in ghosts and not technology.

Google announced in a Google+ post that the car it announced in May is one step closer to becoming an everyday reality, with the first “real build” of the self-driving prototype.

Before now, Google had been testing different prototypes focused on distinct car functions, like steering, braking and the all-important sensors involved in self-driving. This is the first iteration of that vehicle that brings it all together in a “fully functional vehicle” for “fully autonomous driving,” the company says.

“We’re going to be spending the holidays zipping around our test track, and we hope to see you on the streets of Northern California in the new year,” Google writes. “Our safety drivers will continue to oversee the vehicle for a while longer, using temporary manual controls as needed while we continue to test and learn.”

This of course means that cops can expect at least a few “THERE IS A GHOST DRIVING TOWARD ME RIGHT NOW PLEASE HELP!!” calls.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist