Google Car, Chris Urmson, "The car that drives itself is safe and will not cost too much"

It looks like a toy and instead could become the car of the future. So has the engineer who created it

Almost a half-sphere with the wheels . It looks like a toy , but it contains technology that until now only had airplanes . The Google car is coming, with a mission: to scrap the driver. When the project car driven by the algorithm has started, in 2009 , it seemed more a provocation than a business plan. Seven hundred miles later, driven on the roads of California without incident , except for a pair of rear-end collisions in which the cars were victims at the hands of careless humans , there is a quantum leap.

The software giant , which hitherto had normal equipped cars (Toyota Prius and Lexus ) with a variety of cameras and sensors , now has built from scratch, with automotive partners not showing up , this kind of gray egg , half computer and half machine . And in doing so its engineers have omitted a few details : steering wheel and pedals, present in previous models . Why this bold leap forward, and the project in general , we spoke with Chris Urmson , the man who runs it .

Before you if something went wrong there was a big red button below to return. The pigiavi and the pilot , that since there had admired the scenery, back in control of the vehicle. Not any more ?

" Now there is a similar button that , in an emergency , it can only stop the car . But there is more steering wheel, accelerator and brake. 's Car following the instructions of the maps and the laser radar to $ 70,000 that mounted on the roof will avoid any obstacle. , we announced a car completely autonomous , and we're going in that direction . "

Why would we need a car that drives itself ?

" To increase security , first and foremost. Every year in car accidents, 33 000 people die in the U.S. alone . Was the first cause of mortality in the range of 4 to 34 years old. Worldwide victims are a million and two hundred thousand . and, with the Chinese and the Indians passing in mass between two and four wheels, octave become the fourth leading cause of death . "

And how does the Google Car can improve the situation?

"It is estimated that more than nine times out of ten it is the mistakes of drivers. The main causes are alcohol, speeding or being distracted by the phone. Problems to which the software is immune. Removing the wheel from the hands of men we plan to eliminate 90 percent of accidents . "

A prediction rather ambitious . And that makes predictions on the timing ?

"We will do more tests in the city in Mountain View , which we have very detailed maps , from the end of the year. Then we will expand to the rest of California, because that's where the law allows the driverless car ."

Yes, but normal people do when they can buy them.

Your boss Sergey Brin had talked about the 2017 " Le put on the market when all the possible tests will be made. Lets say that I have confidence that they are ready when my son will be old enough to drive , five and a half years ."

You said you will be an advantage for those who now can not afford a car . In what sense?

"In the United States, the second most significant purchase for a family is to the car. Our cars will revolutionize mobility , making shared . If you have to go to work you can reserve one who makes that route and will pick you up , maybe in conjunction with another passenger. Without having to buy. "

Other advantages for its future users ?

" The most touching thing was told me by a mother who has tried it for a week. Having to do an hour and a half of road twice a day , when he came home he was too tired to cook for their children or to make gymnastics. With its electronic driver , however, came rested. And did not want to give it back . "

It is electric cars. What autonomy do they have?

" For the moment, about 160 km, but will improve. At a maximum speed of 40 km per hour , to reduce the risk of collision . Prices also , yet to be defined , they will go down when you begin series production ."

As they say the car that we want to go in a certain place ?

"At the moment to get from A to B the car is pre- programmed and you just press a button to start. We are deciding whether the target will be written on their mobile phones that will communicate with the car , or on the navigator on board. Someday instructions could give his voice , as is already the case in research with our maps . "

A Stanford professor , Oussama Khatib , said that your car will never make it in the chaos of Naples. How do you respond ?

"What step by step. Freeways We started from easy to most difficult city streets . At Naples there will certainly be more variables to take into account , but nothing prevents the technology to manage them . Alternatively, when the company will realize the benefits of our car, maybe ask the traffic police to be more strict in enforcing the rules. "