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A comment on Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic.

Re:Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic by K3G on Saturday October 09, 2010 @04:35PM (#1775800)
It will take a decrease in sensor costs for this to become commercially viable. The "device" on top of the car is a Velodyne LIDAR system, which if I recall correctly, costs around $75k. Using a sensor that costs more than the vehicle it controls makes selling this difficult, to say the least.
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Re:Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic by yellowbkpk on Saturday October 09, 2010 @11:03PM (#1776467)
If Google sees the cost as a problem they'll buy Velodyne and sell the LIDAR for $500 so that adoption leaps forward (just like the Nexus One).

Or they'll develop their own and sell it through a third party.

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Re:Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic by bruceboughton on Saturday October 09, 2010 @05:05PM (#1775876)
You could say this about any new technology. Mass demand will solve this problem.
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Re:Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic by akgerber on Saturday October 09, 2010 @06:26PM (#1776052)
Aren't car companies essentially all about wringing huge efficiencies out of mass production? Compare an automotive product to something requiring a similar manufacturing technique with more niche demand and there's usually a huge price difference.
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