...Google Research and Development Projects TC American Public University System Google Research and Development Projects Google has an arm of their company called Project X that is tasked with researching and developing new and evolving technologies. When many people think about Google they simply think of the company as a search engine and web mail hosting company. The fact is that Google excels in those areas but is also on the forefront of new technologies that have the potential to change how people drive, how internet services are deployed in remote areas, how home environmental systems are controlled and how internet orders are delivered (ExtremeTech, 2015). In particular, Google’s self-driving car, DeepMind artificial intelligence, Project Wing drone, Project Loon balloon internet and Nest home automation technologies show promise to improve the quality of life for many in the world. Google’s research and development mission is to consolidate information from across the world from many sources and then make that data both useful and available to all internet users (Spector, Norvig & Petrov, 2015). Additionally, Google uses the technology to improve existing goods and services as well as improving the environment through clean energy initiatives. Google as a company is focused on rapidly developing and implementing new technology in all areas but the research but the research and development arm is hyper-focused on technology innovation (Research.google.com, 2015)...
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...California, a Prius—one of the cars in Google’s fleet of autonomous vehicles—caused a fender-bender. The accident happened, naturally, because there was a human behind the wheel. That's according to a new report by Google about its self-driving car project, a document that tallies every accident since it began testing its 32 vehicles on the roads in 2009. That sounds like it could be a massive dataset, considering the tens of thousands of accidents that happen on American roadways each year. It actually isn’t: “In the six years of our project, we’ve been involved in 12 minor accidents during more than 1.8 million miles of autonomous and manual driving combined,” Google wrote. “Not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident.” Not once! In the case of the fender bender four summers ago, a Google employee—yes, a human—was to blame. He had borrowed the car to run a quick errand and ended up rear-ending another car. (“He was not using the vehicle to test our autonomous technology,” Google wrote, and the car ended up sustaining “some damage.”) So what ended up being probably a pretty bad day for that Google employee—imagine telling your boss you crashed the driverless car—turns out to be a tidy example of the key difference between human drivers and algorithmic ones. Namely: Robots are much, much better drivers than humans. Google’s descriptions of the other accidents involving its self-driving cars reiterates that point. Its cars were rear-ended eight times,...
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...GOOGLE SELF-DRIVEN CAR THESIS NAME: INSTITUTION: COURSE PREFIX: COURSE NUMBER: DATE OF SUBMISSION: 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 GOOGLE SELF-DRIVEN CAR The Google self-driven car is an automated car that operates automatically with no physical human input. It is a project developed by Google Company that involves the development of technology in automated vehicles mostly the electric type of vehicles. The software responsible for the management of the vehicle in its operations is the Google chauffeur. The project is under the management of a Google engineer Sebastian Thrun. He is an experienced engineer who previously worked for the former director in the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. In addition, he previously worked as a co-inventor of the Google Street view. The development of the robotic vehicle was first showcased in 2005 in the DARPA Grand Challenge where it won the award. There was an able team of 15 engineers who developed the system in collaboration with the Google Company. Some included Chris Urmson, Mike Montemerlo and lastly Anthony Levandowski, involved in the DARPA Grand and Urban Challenges (Thrun, 2010). In the technological point of view, the automated Google vehicles comprise of parts and equipment that are worth 150000 dollars inclusive of the 70000 dollars for the LiDAR system. It possesses a range finder strategically placed on the top part of the vehicle called the Velodyne...
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...Executive Summary: Google, want to venture into the self-driving cars, they announced that it is building a vehicle without a steering wheel or role for a driver. The thing is that Google technology has not been able to successfully switch control back and forth from automated driving to the driver in an emergency and does not expect to be able to accomplish that soon, also technology is to expensive. Other companies building autonomous cars said that they are working on vehicles that will be able to safely make that switch. Volvo says that it expects to have its cars tested on city streets by 2020. The Google management team faced several questions. Should Google continue to invest in the technology behind self-driving cars? How could Google's core software-based and search business benefit from self-driving car technology? As large auto manufacturers began to invest in automotive technology themselves, could Google compete? Was this investment of time and resources worth it for Google? Environmental Scanning (external and internal analysis): PEST Analysis After reading the case study Google car I have used the PEST analysis model in which the following was concluded: 1. Political Factors: Government’s regulations on automobile transportation are one of the major aspects in Google's car that have legal barriers. Due to that most of the governments do not have specific laws for self-driving vehicle and there are no federal standards for autonomous cars special permission...
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...Ana Gordina Application Paper - BUAD 307 April 20, 2015 Self-Driving Taxis (Uber): Secondary Market Research Proposal Description: Self-driving taxis will be provided by Uber and would create an additional type of transportation offered to consumers. These taxis will not require a human driver to be present at the wheel. The car will include the latest technology, including GPS systems and smart traffic control, which will get the customer from point A to point B upon request and with minimal delays. The concept of self-driving cars has become very popular in the recent years. About 10 years ago, people were suspect about the safety and overall feasibility of the self-driving machines, let alone self-driving taxis. Today, as more tech companies, like Google, are coming up with these cars and testing their performance, people become more willing to give up their seat at the wheel (Emarketer). Whenever new technology comes out in the market, marketers manipulate on how a specific customer segment will react to the product. Take for example, personal computers or internet and how nobody could have predicted that these products would become a commodity. Yet, today, people can’t picture living without them. Knowing what are the benefits and costs of the product make it easier to create a marketing plan for the product. Thus, this report will cover the following subtopics: 1. Benefits and costs of self-driving taxis 2. Potential pricing strategies and costs to the...
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...The Safety of a Self-driving Car With the rise of technology dedicated to self-driving cars, people are asking the question "how safe are driverless cars compare to a traditional car?" First of all, to drive a self-driving car functioning by a computer or robot, the driver has to learn to control the functions. In 2011, a Google self-driving car was involved in an accident, and Google stated to the press that the driver was responsible for the driving. However, many critics became to question whether the technology behind the self-driving car are responsible for the accident. In the recent years, self-driving cars are tested on the road in several different states, and for the last years or so, Google had tested more than “700,000 miles” of accident-free driving from a driverless car. With self-driving cars, what are the obligations the operator have to make? If companies like Google, were to sell hundreds of thousands of these cars on the road, are they able to keep up the safety standard in a large number? The technology will also force regulators to rethink the car and driver relationship, and possibly place more emphasis on the regulation both the car and the driver. For instance, instead of certifying that a driver can pass a road test, the state might certify that a car can pass a test, upending the traditional drivers’ licensing system. In addition, the state of mind when you are for example, drunk, are you allow to operate a self-driving car? Due to the promising...
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...Google Cars Darrell Jackson Jr. Composition II Cars that can drive themselves are no longer a part of science fiction. Google is currently in the process of changing the world as we know it. Google is working on a project called “driverless cars”. “What is a driverless car” you ask? A driverless car is an autonomous vehicle that can drive itself from one place to another without the assistance from a human driver. The driverless car is a project by Google that enables your car to drive without really driving. Although these cars have yet to hit the roads, they are already being tested by Google and many different car companies. Google has complete over 700,000 driving miles accident free, in which they traveled congested streets and popular intersections. According to predictions driverless cars could be a reality by 2020. Google is still in the beginning stages of making this project official because there is a lot of barriers that have to get through, but confidently state driverless cars will become available in the near future. Google have at least 10 different prototypes that they use as practice cars. Some examples of these cars are the Toyota Prius and the Lexus SL600h. The basic designs of this project consist of a car with a rotating sensor on the top that spins 360 degrees, to create a 3D map of the cars location. A sensor located on the left rear wheel that tracks the car movements and locates it on the map. There is a video camera on the windshield by the rear...
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...GoogleFinal Case StudyGraham Henderson Google Wallet is a very convenient option to condense your physical wallet as it can store all of your loyalty programs such as Orbitz, Walgreens, Alaska Airlines and many more. You can easily add all your loyalty programs to your Google wallet by simply scanning the cards or instantly join new programs in the app. Another great benefit of this app is that you can store your discounts and coupons on your phone that you can redeem at your convenience. Select stores accept contactless payments which allow you to pay with your wallet balance or with your preferred credit or debit card. Google wallet also has a card you can use to make purchases with no fee where MasterCard is accepted. It will take the money from your wallet balance or you can remove cash at ATMs. Sending money to friends or loved ones is very easy with Google Wallet. Similar to PayPal, you can send funds from either your bank account or from your wallet balance. There are no fees when sending money and you can also use Gmail to send money as well. If you decide to use a credit or debit card then a 2.9% fee per transaction is applied. Once you receive the money, you can use it instantly with your Google Wallet Card or transfer the money to your bank account. To keep track of where your money is going, you will be notified immediately after you send or receive money and after every Google Wallet Card transaction. You can also track all of your transactions using the app or...
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...Tyler Gates Robotics Essay The New Era of Cars An autonomous car, also known as a self-driving car or robotic car, is an autonomous vehicle capable of fulfilling the main transportation capabilities of a traditional car. As an autonomous vehicle, it is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input. Autonomous vehicles sense their surroundings with such techniques as radar, LIDAR, GPS, Odometry, and computer vision. Advanced control systems interpret sensory information to identify appropriate navigation paths, as well as obstacles and relevant signage. By definition, autonomous vehicles are capable of updating their maps based on sensory input, allowing the vehicles to keep track of their position even when conditions change or when they enter uncharted environments. Autonomous cars have control systems that are capable of analyzing sensory data to distinguish between different objects on the road, which is very useful in planning a path to the desired destination. Google’s self-driving car is any in a range of autonomous cars, developed by Google X as part of its project to develop technology for mainly electric cars. The software installed in Google's cars is called Google Chauffeur. Lettering on the side of each car identifies it as a "self-driving car". The project was formerly led by Sebastian Thrun, former director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and co-inventor of Google Street View. Thrun's team at Stanford created the robotic...
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...Google Green Project Many people only identify Google as a search and software giant, but there are so many other ventures that Google it taking part in. Green energy is something that Google has been investing in and piloting for quite a while now. Google has publicly acknowledged that investing in green is their environmental responsibility. They have also admitted that it is not just their moral obligation, but that it also makes sense business wise. By investing and piloting advances in renewable energy it increases its overall proficiency and decreases long-term cost. Google has invested in the research and development of a wide range of renewable energy initiatives to include: wind, solar, and geothermal. Not only does this look good from the community prospective, but it is a smart business choice as well. Currently, renewable energy makes up a small part of Google’s overall business plan, but as this develops and pays off, it will likely find a bigger place among the company. In 2007, Google installed the largest of its kind solar grid array at the Mountain View campus. This array produces 1.7MW and provides 30% of the campus’ power. Not only will this solar array pay for itself with 6 years, but it will continue to provide power for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, Google is entering into long-term contracts with green energy providers that will provide a fair portion of the power to its data centers worldwide. This started out as philanthropic in nature...
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...Essay A driverless car, also known as a self-driving car is an autonomous car which can perform the actions of the human being, as if a man were driving a traditional car. We can say that the car is independent of the human as the car only needs to be programmed with the destination. The mechanical part of the vehicle is held by the car its own. Moreover, to function, the car has some specific technology, for example laser, radar, GPS and computer vision. An example of an approved case of self-driving cars can be Google’s. In 2011 the state of Nevada was the first jurisdiction in the United States to pass a law concerning the operation of driverless cars. This law was turned into effect by March 2012 and the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles gave the first license for a self-driven car in May 2012. This license was given to Google’s car which was in this case a Toyota Prius. Google got involved with this issue as it is trying to develop technology for driverless vehicles. In addition, the project is currently being led by Google engineer Sebastian Thrun, director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the co-inventor of Google Street View. To develop this system, Google also had to hire 15 engineers. This topic about self-driving cars involves also other issues such as hardware and software, social and ethical issues and the social impact. As regards hardware and software involved, it integrates Google Maps with various hardware sensors and artificial...
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...A (Very) Small Sampling of Google Products Ben Thompson INFO331 Google Case Study A (Very) Small Sampling of Google Products To say that Google is a large business is a gross understatement. The word “Google” has become synonymous with online searches, even though there are other search engines that exist. The search engine may be the most popular and well known aspect of the Google brand, yet the company is involved in so many different business endeavors ranging from self-driving vehicles to online analytics. A significant portion of research conducted at Google is geared towards products and services other than the well-known search and advertising functions. Google has released a tablet to rival the iPad and Google Maps has become the unofficial industry standard (Null 2010). Google is also at the forefront of green energy and has been making significant strides and investments in this area. A Self Driving Car? For years people have envisioned self-driving vehicles. One of the most obvious benefits of this kind of technology would be safer roads. This could be one of the reasons that earlier in 2013 the Transportation Department decided to get behind the idea of developing this technology (Greiling Keane 2013). Regulators see the benefits of having this technology on the road because of the very real problem of traffic fatalities. In 2012 there were 34,000 deaths on U.S. roads alone. One of the features of this technology is that vehicles will be able to communicate...
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... What is the future of driving? Almost 120 years ago, the first car was manufactured. Nowadays, cars are the main on-ground transportation. Although vehicles help people a lot in their full of movement and energy modern life, cars are taking away people’s time, which they spend behind the wheel. Cars are also a means of transportation that is associated with a high chance of life-threatening risks. So how can Google change that? Google’s credo is “Think Bigger,” and they are doing that by coming up with ideas, that are far ahead of our time. Larry Page once said, “We want to build technology that everybody loves using, and that affects everyone. We want to create beautiful, intuitive services and technologies that are so incredibly useful that people use them twice a day. Like they use a toothbrush. There isn’t that many things people use twice a day” (as cited in Carlson, 2011). Google has come up with a project that will change the way people consider driving. The project took its start in 2009 with some of the very best engineers from the DARPA Challenges, a series of autonomous vehicle races organized by the U.S. Government. This project will help to prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use. According to World Health Organization (2013), approximately 1.3 million people die each year on the world's roads, and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. Google aims to prevent and reduce...
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...Google is an innovative company typically known for their Internet search browser. However, the organization has multiple side projects which are all in different phases of research and development or production. Google’s home automated Nest product is on selves now, and Google Fiber services are available in limited locations. Moreover, Google’s automated vehicle, the Waymo, has been captured in the media’s spotlight anticipating any news about a potential release date. Additionally, Google’s Project Loon is still in the research and development phase. All these products have the potential to change the world, by automating technologies, and providing essential services to people who have lacked the means of connecting to the Internet. However, these ventures all share some public concern, but ultimately assist in creating technology designed to simplify and enhance individual’s lives. Self-Driving Automobile Waymo is the name Google has given to their self-automated vehicle. The vehicle which is capable of transporting people on the streets of any city or on long...
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...people has no survivals as they do not get to hospital in time after their car accident. The 2010 national Automobile census, mentioned that more than 90% of reported accidents were caused by driver and less than 10% was due to outside or car problems. As the advances of technology increases, so does the danger to people. This is due to there being production of faster cars that are more powerful, therefore increasing the chances of danger. The famous futurist Norman Bell Geddes said that “Your grandchildren will snap across the entire continent in 24 hours on a new kind of highway and in a new kind of driverless car that is controlled by the push of a button," Some say his idea was what inspired the creation of the Interstate Highway System. Few years ago, the driverless cars were seen as just science fiction, an imagination that was only accomplished in movies and novels. However it is close to being a reality that will be soon experienced. Currently, technology is so close, as our cars are technologically advanced enough to be able steer themselves. Moreover, the cars can also accelerate and brake to sustain a safe driving distance from any cars ahead and also detect and avoid crashes with other cars on all the sides. With this much technology advancement, making the cars driverless will only take some more software upgrade and then the science fiction will be our reality. The benefits of driverless cars outweigh the benefit of having human drivers because human are almost...
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