News Column

Blind Man Goes for Google Car Drive

March 30, 2012

Google this week posted a video of its self-driving Toyota Prius taking a blind man to a San Jose, Calif., dry cleaners and Taco Bell.

"Look, Ma, no hands. No hands, no feet," says Steve Mahan, who has lost 95 percent of his vision.

"Where this would change my life is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things," he said.

Mahan is seen chowing down on his taco as the car zips along streets. There was no traffic in evidence.

Google said on its Google+ account the drive was pre-programmed, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"There's much left to design and test, but we've now safely completed more than 200,000 miles of computer-led driving, gathering great experiences and an overwhelming number of enthusiastic supporters," Google said in the post.

"Having safely completed over 200,000 miles of computer-led driving, we wanted to share one of our favorite moments," Google said in the blurb accompanying the 3-minute clip uploaded to YouTube Wednesday.



Source: Copyright United Press International 2012


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