Since Google disclosed their self-driving car project a little over a year ago, they have been surprisingly quiet about their plan for the technology. In fact, many in the technology industry have been waiting anxiously to find out what they plan to do with it and what other technology they may be developing. However, Google received a new patent on December 13 that may give some clues to what they have in mind.
The new patent is for a method of shifting between the self-driving mode and human driving mode during the search for a parking space. Basically, the technology works by having the car stop over a landing strip in order to get more information. The information could be delivered by radio communication or, most likely, a QR code.
It seems that the idea is for the car to drive over a QR code on the street or at a parking garage that will give directions to a specific parking spot or even directions to an available parking garage database showing the available spots.
It's interesting to see how this technology will develop. One thing that Google search excels at is taking vague questions and determining what you actually want to know and giving you the most relevant information, which can be very helpful when designing something like a car, that needs to have a small margin of error.
Of course, the wording of the patent is vague and there hasn't been any announcement by the search giant that gives any clear indication of what they are working on. In fact, in the patent they don't address QR codes specifically. They only mention a "reference indicator", which could be anything. In fact, it could be a communication device that allows cars to "talk" to each other, alerting other self-driving cars whenever the car plans to shift, change lanes or make a turn.
Google isn't the only company that has been working on technology that makes driving a car safer, although they are the only ones who have come up with a mostly self-driving car that actually works in field trials. The Ford Motor Company has already put automated parking assist in their newer model cars. If you drive along a street slowly, the front-rear and side sensors will measure open spots and let you know if your car will fit into the space. Then, all the driver has to do is stop the car and put it in reverse. The computer drives the car into the space quickly, allowing the driver to press the brake when it's done and put the car in park.
It remains to be seen how this technology will develop, but in the meantime, it gives more fuel for the imagination.
What do you think about the self-driving car? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for TechCareersBlog and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!