Posted on 03/11/2013 10:44:24 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Google is working on a technology that, if perfected, would prevent about 35,000 deaths per year in the United States and 1.2 million deaths per year worldwide.
To put that number in context: About 23,000 American men and women will die of leukemia in 2012, according to the National Cancer Institute.
But while the technology Google is working on isn't the cure for cancer, it's pretty impressive.
What is it?
Self-driving cars.
According to the U.S. census, 33,808 people died in car crashes in the U.S. in 2009 — 37,423 in 2008. According to the World Health Organization, 1.2 million people die in car crashes around the world each year.
A source familiar with Google's self-driving car program tells us that one of its primary goals is to eliminate the ~99 percent of those deaths that are caused by "human error."
That's obviously a lofty goal.
It's certainly admirable … but is it achievable?
There are some data points to consider before answering that question.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
these are “dumb” self drive.
there is no ai in total control. they rely on google, for a fee, navigation.
true revolutionary would be a SMART self drive car.
How much havoc would it cause to the white elephant mass transit light rail system?
what will union drivers do?
passengers jet practically do that now. and they can take off and land too.
They may be able to “fly” on their “own” (based upon the data that is inputed), take off, and land, but can they make the micro-second by micro-second decisions required during a combat situation, and make the correct decisions based upon conditions? Pilot instinct is not something a computer can be programmed with.
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