> We've had computers and sensors powerful enough for decades, only Google have all of that maps data, polished again and again by android users using maps (and now Ingress) to make it more reliable.
Of what relevance is Google's map data (which they buy from vendors)? Google's map data doesn't tell the car if a pedestrian or another car or a fire hydrant is where it is about to go. The car has to figure that out all by itself and in real time.
Map data is neither necessary nor sufficient to drive a car.
At the scale where a driver-less car operates, the map data is only relevant as to whether it's managed to get its owner where he wants to go. If that question is still relevant, then it has succeeded.
You don't quite understand the scale at which Google operates. What they're essentially doing is building a 3D model of the entire world, using their own data (did you think those Street View cars were just taking pretty pictures?). By comparing the real world against the model, they'll be instantly able to distinguish between the fire hydrant (which was there yesterday) and the pedestrian (who wasn't). No algorithm relying purely on real-time data will be able to compete.
I don't think you understand the scale of the world.
Street View is YEARS out of date in most major international cities and doesn't exist in the majority of smaller cities. It would be dangerous borderline criminal for a self-driving car to be relying on it for anything important.
A driverless car is already loaded up with all the sensors you need to fully map the road.
Google's cars start with an extremely detailed map of the road, including where the lanes are and where everything should be. And, every time a Google car drives the road, that map can be updated.
This obviously isn't ready to deploy nation-wide right now, but there's a pretty obvious growth path here. If you were to buy a Google car for your commute, you might have to manually drive it for several days in order for it to learn everything it needs to know. Eventually, the other self-driving cars on the road will also be helping build a map for you, and you for them.
Of what relevance is Google's map data (which they buy from vendors)? Google's map data doesn't tell the car if a pedestrian or another car or a fire hydrant is where it is about to go. The car has to figure that out all by itself and in real time.
Map data is neither necessary nor sufficient to drive a car.
At the scale where a driver-less car operates, the map data is only relevant as to whether it's managed to get its owner where he wants to go. If that question is still relevant, then it has succeeded.