Google has been working on its autonomous car for only a few years but already the company has plans to release a finished product.
According to project lead Chris Urmson, the goal is to get the car out within the next five years.
"I have a son who's 11 and the notion that he could get a driver's permit in five years is a terrible thing," said Urmson jokingly in an interview. "So that's our goal, to help him."
Google has been taking the driverless car out on the road in order to learn more about how it can work and what to do in order to improve it. It's not only getting smart, but it's also getting more featured, with engineers working tirelessly on the project.
"We're conscious of the impression we can make while driving around town," said Nathan Fairfield, software design lead for the project. "If we need to, we'll take control from the computer. But mainly, it's out here to learn."
Google reportedly began testing its autonomous car way back in 2009, but it only revealed a complete prototype for the project in December.
The goal for autonomous cars is not only to make our lives easier but also to reduce road accidents, with 1.2 million people being killed on the road every year. The idea is that self-driving cars will help remove the issue of human error, at least to an extent.
Of course, Google has run into a number of issues with the technology. The technology has encountered some very interesting situations, such as a child driving a toy car in the street and a woman in a wheelchair chasing a duck.
"There is nowhere in the handbook about how to deal with that situation," continued Urmson. According to reports, however, the cars that were being tested did in fact slow down and react appropriately to the situation at hand.
Google isn't the only tech company working on autonomous vehicle technology. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has said that self-driving cars will be on the road within 20 years and that eventually humans might be banned from driving altogether.
Apple is also rumored to be working on car technology, having reportedly poached a number of engineers and other employees from Tesla, among other companies. If Apple were to enter the car industry, it could completely change it. An Apple car would likely have a very heavy emphasis on software and the in-dash experience for the driver.
