Google Wants to Take the Wheel With Its Self-Driving Car

Google self-driving car may look, and kind of sound,

like an overgrown Rumba,

but inside, it's packing some of the most advanced software

the auto industry has ever seen.

The car uses sensors like cameras, radars,

and laser detection to interpret the world around it.

That software lets it not just recognize things like,

police cars, pedestrians, and errant cyclists,

but actually predict how they're likely to act.

Inside, the controls for things like windows, lights,

and heating look like they were torn out of

a nineties-era Ford Taurus,

but the real cool part is that you don't get

a steering wheel, and you don't need pedals.

That's because Google is not interested in anything less

than a fully self-driving car,

and it wants to get there in four years.

This prototype will almost certainly

never be sold to the public,

but it's a clear sign of how serious Google is

about reducing driving to little more than getting in,

pushing the go button, and enjoying the ride.