Google Hiring People To Test Self-Driving Cars
Google is hiring people in Arizona to sit in the front seat of its self-driving cars 'collecting data for our engineering team' on how the vehicles perform in the city's hot, dry and dusty roadways.
The California technology company has posted job ads looking to hire people in the Phoenix area who are willing to work six to eight hours a day, five days a week, for roughly $20 US, an hour.
Applicants must be licensed drivers with clean records, but won't be called upon to take the wheel of four Lexus RX450h SUVs that have been equipped with Google's latest technology.
Rather, they will sit in the passenger seats of the vehicles while they drive around the city in real-world conditions, and at the end of each shift provide the company with "concise written and oral feedback to the engineering team," for how the cars performed under all conditions.
While it's unlikely to be needed, the humans selected must be able to take the wheel as circumstances warrant, because Google says its technology is not quite ready to be in control under all driving conditions. More testing in places like Phoenix could make that possible quicker, however.
One of Google's self-driving cars was pulled over recently for driving below the posted speed limit and impeding traffic in Mountain View California.
Google's autonomous cars have clocked 2.4 million kilometres on U.S. roadways so far, but the company has identified the area around Phoenix as an ideal test market to take the next step.
That's because "Arizona is known as a place where research and development is welcome, innovation can thrive, and companies can set up roots," said Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations for the Google Self-Driving Car project.
"The Phoenix area has distinct desert conditions, which will help us better understand how our sensors and cars handle extreme temperatures and dust in the air."
The move toward autonomous vehicles got a shot in the arm last month when US road regulator the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that computer software could technically be considered a "driver" under US law.
Google is also breaking new ground in its autonomous car venture by partnering with an actual auto manufacturer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, to produce a fleet of self-driving minivans.
The Mountain View giant is team with FCA to double its fleet of self-driving cars for testing by adding “about 100 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans,” Fortune reports. Over the coming months, the two companies will modify the vehicles to accommodate “Google’s self-driving systems, including sensors and computers.”
The partnership is intended to “help both teams better understand how to create a fully self-driving car that can take people from A to B with the touch of a button,” in the words of Google.
While minivans aren’t exactly sexy, the simple truth is that lots of people, especially families, get around in them each and every day. These are the people that are likely to invest in the newest safety technology, so it only makes sense to be prepared to cater to their needs.
“The opportunity to work closely with FCA engineers will accelerate our efforts to develop a fully self-driving car that will make our roads safer and bring everyday destinations within reach for those who cannot drive,” said on the matter Google’s self-driving project head, John Krafcik.
Currently, Google has some 70 self-driving vehicles in testing. Like the rest of this fleet, the minivans will start out on Google’s closed testing course before moving out into the real world. Google’s fleet is made up of modified Lexus RX450h SUVs and the company’s self-designed prototypes. The minivans will surely add some (not so exciting) diversity to this fleet.
