Google loves its green transportation projects. They have
invested in the Shweeb, and over the past year have been
developing a self-driving car. In March, Google successfully
performed a test drive with a Prius racing around a car parking
lot roof, but in August the technology hit a roadblock when it
was blamed for a car accident. Now it seems that the company has
ironed out the vehicle’s flaws, and Google has just been awarded
U.S. Patent No. 8,078,349 for methods and devices for
“Transitioning a Mixed-mode Autonomous Vehicle from a Human
Driven Mode to an Autonomously Driven Mode“– aka, the driverless
car! The fast-tracked patent application was reportedly filed
last May, but was kept on the low-down at the Internet giant’s
request. Google has said in the past that their self-driving
technology will also assist cars in making “split second
decisions such as avoiding obstacles like deer that may venture
into the road. ” It is hoped that the technology will double the
capacity of roads by allowing cars to dr