Blind man “drives” automated Google smart car

Google’s self-driving smart car R&D project has hit another milestone, with the company allowing a visually impaired person to “drive” one of its test vehicles.

PCMag reports that the CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Blind Centre, Steve Mahan, “drove” the car from a Google test facility to a local Taco Bill drive-thru and dry cleaning store.

The project combines Google Maps and Street View with artificial intelligence and onboard sensors to allow a car to “drive” itself.

Google claims that its test vehicles have driven around 200,000 miles since the programme was launched in 2010.