Second, Thomas seems to be assuming that most people will buy self-driving cars outright.
FORBES: High Sensor Costs Won't Stand in the Way of the Self-Driving Future
Overall, the NHTSA guidelines indicate that federal regulators are eager to promote research on self-driving cars.
For now, the agency says states shouldn't allow operation of self-driving vehicles except for testing purposes.
Google lawyers recently helped draft the first state law dealing with self-driving cars, in Nevada.
It allows self-driving cars after they've been tested for 10, 000 miles on private roads.
Google: Project Glass, self-driving cars, pieces of software with charming voices that serve as personal attendants.
FORBES: Announcing Age of Context a New Book with Robert Scoble
My car company isn't into self-driving cars, but others are: Ford, BMW, Audi.
ENGADGET: Editorial: Self-driving cars FTW, but not for everybody
Self-driving cars would be the great liberator of people for whom driving is a boring necessity.
ENGADGET: Editorial: Self-driving cars FTW, but not for everybody
If you think a little bigger, you may think of flying cars or self-driving cars.
Self-driving cars, robotic surgery and robotic exoskeletons for soldiers are indeed serious stuff.
FORBES: South African Students Build Robots And Compete In Lego Program
First and foremost, he said, the self-driving cars would be safer than human-driven cars.
That last bit goes quite a bit further than today's experiments with self-driving cars, though.
ENGADGET: Minority Report at 10: a look at technology from today to 2054
One thing the tech and auto industries can agree on is that self-driving cars are doable.
FORBES: Will Google Kill The Auto Industry? No, And Here's Why.
The lab has given rise to Google's self-driving car initiative and did the early work on its augmented spectacles.
Nevada has made Audi the first automaker allowed to operate self-driving vehicles on public roads.
FORBES: Audi Follows Google's Lead, Gets Pass For Driverless Cars
Then there's the impact of the self-driving car, which has the potential to radically reduce car crashes.
But the economics will change dramatically if Google or a car company decides to begin mass-producing self-driving cars.
FORBES: High Sensor Costs Won't Stand in the Way of the Self-Driving Future
Several states, including California, Florida and Nevada, have passed laws allowing operation of self-driving cars on public streets.
Even grizzled Silicon Valley entrepreneurs like Reputation.com CEO Michael Fertik confessed to being wowed by the self-driving car.
"We want to improve the quality of driving, " says Anthony Levandowski, the project manager for Google's self-driving-car effort.
Audi and BMW have shown self-driving concept cars, and Audi had a TT drive itself up Pikes Peak.
Google's self-driving cars, which use laser sensors and mapping technology, are examples of Level 3 cars, Mr. Friedman said.
The agency document emphasizes the potential for self-driving cars to reduce highway accidents and deaths, and reduce fossil-fuel emissions.
The development of self-driving car technology is being spurred on by several forces.
In some instances, the NHTSA guidelines urge states not to regulate self-driving cars.
Page said he continues to favor projects that seem impossible, like self-driving cars.
FORBES: Google Tops Q1 Profit Expectations As Ad Price Decline Eases A Bit
In Sacramento, Stanford University's self-driving car hit 120 mph in a test drive, and in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Self-driving cars developed by Google are becoming a regular sight around Silicon Valley.
To its credit, Google has been testing self-driving cars without any legal protections.
In 2010, a self-driving Audi made it to the top of Pikes Peak.
应用推荐