George PuticU.S. technology giant Google made a step forward in its push for self-driving cars by unveiling a prototype without any manual controls. Google said someday its vehicles will be better drivers than many humans who drive today’s cars.
Google's self-driving cars are not a rare sight in western states like California and Nevada, whose legislators are more open to the idea of vehicles with only passive human control.So far, Google has been converting standard, mass-produced cars, with regular steering wheels and pedals, where a person in the driver’s seat could take over at any time.Hands freeThe subcompact two-seater, presented this week, is a totally new concept, without a possibility for the passengers to control direction, speed or braking.After entering the destination in the on-board computer, humans can only sit and observe the scenery, or watch the car’s progress on the electronic display. The top speed is limited to 40 kilometers per hour.“They are a chance for us to explore what it really means to have a self-driving vehicle," said the company’s director for self-driving cars, Chris Urmson."But in a smaller amount of time we've been working on it now, we have functional prototypes, and it's exciting.”Urmson said Google wants to develop the technology up to the point where people would be able to call up a car and have it take them where they want to go. The car would then go to the next caller.Semi-autonomous-drive vehicles It is very likely that by 2020, semi-autonomous-drive vehicles will be common, according to Zoran Filipi, Professor of Automotive Engineering at Clemson University. He spoke to VOA via Skype.“We’ll be able to enjoy other activities while in the car, and, very importantly, we’ll be absolutely in traffic.”Filipi said people will be relieved of some burden of driving on the freeway, but will be able to resume control as they approach their destination.Google plans to build about a hundred of these prototypes, some with manual controls, and test them on California roads. If all goes well, we could be speeding down the road to the future in driverless cars.
Related Articles今天我们要学的词是 self-control。Self-control 自控。A growing body of research suggests that there is a link between low levels of self-control in childhood and serious problems later in life. 越来越多的研究显示，孩子小时候缺乏自控能力会导致长大成人后的很多问题。还有研究发现，If you're struggling with self-control, the best way to achieve it is to surround yourself with strong-willed friends. 如果你缺乏自控能力的话，最好的办法就是多交一些意志力坚强的朋友。好的，今天我们学习的词是 self-control, self-control, self-control...
Related Articles150字的英语自我介绍self-introduce_英文自我介绍_VOA英语网
150字的英语自我介绍self-introduce
发表时间:内容来源:
自我介绍(self-introduce)
Good morning. I am glad to be here for this interview. First let me introduce
myself. My name is ***, 24. I come from ******,the capital of *******Province. I graduated from the ******* department of *****University in July ,2001.In the past two years I have been prepareing for the postgraduate examination while I have been teaching *****in NO.****middle School and I was a head-teacher of a class in junior grade two.Now all my hard work has got a result since I have a chance to be interview by you .
I am open-minded ,quick in thought and very fond of history.In my spare time,I have broad interests like many other youngers.I like reading books, especially those about *******.Frequently I exchange with other people by making comments in the forum on line.In addition ,during my college years,I was once a Net-bar technician.So, I have a comparative good command of network application.I am able to operate the computer well.I am skillful in searching for information in Internet.I am a football fan for years.Italian team is my favorite.Anyway,I feel great pity for our country&s team.
I always believe that one will easily lag behind unless he keeps on learning .Of course, if I am given a chance to study ****** in this famous University,I will stare no effort to master a good command of advance ******.
来自： 文章地址:
Latest NewsVOA常速英语视频：Self-Driving Cars: Science Fiction Future Is Near_VOA常速英语视频_VOA英语网
()节目，由美国本土资深播音员用清晰精准的发音，简化的词汇和语法，播报世界新闻讲述美国人文，地理，文学，历史等专题知识。
文件详细说明
LOS ANGELES & People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not that far down the road.
The high-tech company Google has a fleet of self-driving cars, which had logged 480,000 kilometers by August. Major auto manufacturers in the United States and Europe also are working on the technology for autonomous vehicles. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. &Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality, the driverless car.&
The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U.S. government agency DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races between 2004 and 2007.
&And every two years, the cars came back and they took in 10 times as much data as they did before, so after four years, 100 times more data. Now, they also cost more, but there's just this exponential increase in capability,& said Mason.
Visitors to the recent Los Angeles Auto Show got a glimpse of the future, with its integration of electronics and mechanics through robotics.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. &A camera that's mounted on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your navigation screen so you can safely change lanes.&
Other safety features on some high-end models include collision warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars.
These systems help drivers, but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will go a step further and make the highways safer.
&By taking out individuals in the transportation equation you also remove most of the likelihood for an accident,& Kendall said.
He said consumers, however, may be reluctant to lose control. &It's going to take time for them to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first.&
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles, from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said that as the technology is refined, that will happen.
重要提示：百度网盘失效的话请用迅雷网盘下载！
推荐使用 WinRAR v3.10 以上版本解压本站文件。
如果这个文件总是不能下载的请点击微博报错,谢谢合作!
本站提供的部分文件转载自其它媒体，目的在于传播更多信息，版权归原作者所有，仅供学习与研究。
本站提供的文件如果侵权，请提供版权证明，以便尽快删除。