After enough tweaking, the team finally let the horn rip outside the car. It has even fitted the vehicle with different types of honks for different degrees of danger. So if a vehicle is backing up slowly, Google's car might decide that a gentle little beep-beep will suffice. Whereas if there is immediate, serious danger, the car will opt for a sustained, blaring horn instead.
Some of Google's self-driving cars are electric, so those nearby won't receive the same audible warning as if it was a gasoline engine approaching. As a way of addressing this, the company has already designed the vehicle to make an artificial hum as it roams the streets, and is now letting it toot-toot to boot.
Some of Google's self-driving cars are electric, so those nearby won't receive the same audible warning as if it was a gasoline engine approaching. As a way of addressing this, the company has already designed the vehicle to make an artificial hum as it roams the streets, and is now letting it toot-toot to boot.