Google Self Driving Car – Powered by Carbuntu

Recently, I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Google’s Self Driving Car.

 

Of course, everyone and their dog is covering these things lately. I’m not going to bore you with what they’ve already seen and heard.

 

What I haven’t read about anywhere else is Carbuntu. What is that, you ask? A very good question indeed. I managed to grab a few intriguing shots of the vehicle, let’s take a closer look.

 

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Zoom in on the above shot. Notice “carbuntu”. Lots of eth interfaces (probably relating to the CAN bus). Also, “Chauffeur software”?

 

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Front readout slightly more in focus..

 

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While it doesn’t have a traditional steering wheel, that’s a fine looking rudder. What’s the Lenovo laptop doing?

 

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Near as I can tell, the laptop displayed a variety of info about the vehicle. At one point a Googler hopped on it and clicked some stuff.

 

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The “hat” on top of the car is one of the lasers it uses to “see”. I’m guessing multiple LIDAR units, the staff explaining things didn’t get too in-depth.

 

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Nothing too exciting here, though I always appreciate a big red Panic button on anything.

 

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Tiny little guy, eh? Surprising amount of interior space thanks to non-traditional control surfaces and the lack of necessary accoutrement associated with “vintage” cars. Heh.

 

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Yep.

 

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The cord is definitely not an iPod input.

 

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Ah ha, I made it to the other side! Another blurry (but readable) shot of the display. Booting carbuntu 20150312… system data has 4522 MB free… NTP sync completed…

 

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Apologies for the not-ideal focus. All shots were taken with a Motorola Droid Turbo and varying levels of software-enhanced zoom.

 

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Ahhhh home.. Lenovo laptop, leather interior, big red Panic button. You’re my only friends.

 

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More of the same.

 

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Basically the only redeeming factor of this shot is showing off the front cargo area. Plenty of room to put groceries, some luggage, etc.

 

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Farewell, Panic button. We barely knew ye’.

That’s all I’ve got for now, but I’m looking forward to learning more about Carbuntu and the Google Cars in the coming months. Stay posted!

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