Google's Self-Driving Cars Will Hit the Road by the End of Summer

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Google is unleashing a fleet of electric-powered, self-driving cars onto the streets by the end of this summer. In yesterday's official blog post, Google described the program's objective:

We started with the most important thing: safety. They have sensors that remove blind spots, and they can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections. And we've capped the speed of these first vehicles at 25 mph.

Safety drivers will test the newest prototypes before Google launches an official pilot program. No word yet if it will be like the Google Glass Explorer Program that includes the public as candidates. But for the latest updates, follow the new Google+ page for the self-driving car project.

· Just press go: designing a self-driving vehicle [Google]
· You Can Look, Touch, and Drive at Tesla's New Showroom [Racked SF]