What’s a thousand-pound steel monster controlled entirely by a
computer, no human required? It’s a driverless car! And it’s one
step closer to legally operating on public roads. The
Singularity is nigh, friends. According to Ars Technica, the
California State Senate officially passed SB 1289,
which–following the creation of standards and performance
requirements by the DMV–would allow robot cars to hit the open
road. California legislators have sent a bill to the governor’s
desk that could push forward the development of autonomous cars
in the Golden State. The new bill requires the state’s
Department of Motor Vehicles to adopt new regulations, including
safety standards and “performance requirements” for new
autonomous vehicles. Once those new rules are put in place, the
bill “would permit autonomous vehicles to be operated or tested
on the public roads in this state.” We spent years driving up
and down that stretch of freeway between Palo Alto and San
Francisco, so we understand California’s eagerness to pa