The little guys the beat Google to the punch with self-driving cars
Cruise, a small startup out of San Francisco is destined to be the first to offer kits that can be installed on most newer vehicles, and enable them to drive autonomously, similarly to Google prototypes.
The venture is already accepting 50 pre-orders for 2015, starting at $10,000 per unit. At present the RP-1 is available to owners of 2012 or newer Audi A4 vehicles, and classified as an aftermarket highway autopilot.
Much like its Google counterpart, the RP-1 uses a range of sensors, radars and cameras to successfully operate a vehicle on regular roadways.
Not surprisingly, the company is very clear on the fact that, unless otherwise stated by the California law, texting or carrying on any other activity that takes the attention away from the road, is still prohibited, and drivers are subject to fines even while the RP-1 is in operation.
The RP-1 is still only available to California drivers, as the system relies on its own proprietary mapping, but according to the website, the company plans on expanding the service area to all 50 states, while new legislations in regard to self-driving vehicles are still drafted.
The RP-1 has several redundancies pre-programmed to ensure the safety of the driver and occupants of the vehicle. In case of extreme emergency, the RP-1 is designed to alert the driver of the need for manual control.
With the recent announcement of Tesla Motors technology going open source, there is an expectation for many more of these start-ups to spawn and create increasingly innovative products, and one has to wonder how long before companies like Apple or Microsoft will venture into similar fields. Apple, in particular, as it prepares to make its entry into the universe of wearable technology, is a company that could find the automotive industry quite a profitable market, not only for the in-car entertainment aspect of the technology, but also on the actual driving front, and while wild speculation is a tantalizing proposition, the next decade is indeed fast approaching, with self-driving vehicles, alternative propulsion systems, and remote connectivity, thrusting the world we know, into the world we through we’d never see.