What its like to (not) drive Google’s driverless car - VIDEO

The firm allowed reporters to take a trip around Google's HQ in Silicon Valley.The project's boss urged people to 'embrace' the car, which has caused safety concerns.A fleet of Google's robot cars ferried more than two dozen reporters around Mountain View, California, on Tuesday, in 30-minute ride-alongs that showcased their ability to automatically and safely navigate around city streets packed with cyclists, pedestrians and traffic signs.The demonstrations, along with a morning of press briefings by Google managers developing the technology, marked the company's most concerted effort to date to provide an up-close look at the cars conceived five years ago in its secretive Google X division.The public needs to understand that a self-driving car is 'not something that you need to fear but something you need to embrace,' said Ron Medford, a former National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration official who is now director of safety for Google's self-driving car project.'We do find that when people experience it, we get remarkable results and responses,' Medford said at the event at the Computer History Museum, during which Google explained the technology that makes the cars work.  Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin tout the driverless car as revolutionary technology that could eventually sharply reduce fatalities on the road. ‘You can count on one hand the number of years until people, ordinary people, can experience this,' company co-founder Sergey Brin said in 2012.He made the remarks at a ceremony where California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation legalising the cars on public roads in the state.But it remains to be seen whether it's ready for widespread use.Lately, some of Google's ambitious 'moonshot' projects have stirred unease. Google Glass, a postage stamp-sized computer screen that attaches to eyeglass frames and is capable of recording video, has raised privacy concerns.For self-driving cars, consumer acceptance and regulation may be as much issues as perfecting the technology.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az