How Self-Driving Cars Work: The Nuts and Bolts Behind Google's Autonomous Car Program

Being able to commute back and forth to work while sleeping, eating, playing Trivia Crack or catching up on your favorite blogs in Feedly is a concept that is equally appealing and seemingly far-off and too futuristic to actually happen. When Google announced their autonomous car project in 2008, visions of Minority Report began to swirl in our heads while we wondered about the possibilities of a car that really had no need for us to do anything other than turn it on. This same car wouldn't have to worry about accidents, distraction, or driving under the influence while it made thousands – or even millions – of split-second calculations in order to keep your safe. You see, as it turns out, humans are remarkably bad at driving. "People are not great at driving -- 30,000 people die in car accidents each year (in the United States). Machines can be much better than humans when it comes to driving; they don't drink or text and can think faster."