Sebastian Thrun: Google's driverless car

The speaker shares a personal story of losing a friend in a car accident, which motivated him to work on self-driving cars to save lives. He discusses the DARPA Grand Challenge, where Stanford's team succeeded in creating a self-driving car that navigated a desert. The speaker highlights the technological advancements in autonomous vehicles, including their ability to drive in various conditions without human intervention. He emphasizes the potential benefits of self-driving cars, such as reducing traffic accidents, increasing highway capacity, and saving time and resources. The speaker envisions a future where human-driven cars are seen as outdated.

What event inspired the speaker to focus on developing self-driving cars?

• A personal loss in a car accident

• A government grant

• Winning a car race

• A childhood dream

What was the outcome of Stanford's participation in the DARPA Grand Challenge?

• They failed to complete the challenge

• They were disqualified

• They won a prize for the first car to return

• They finished in second place

How many miles have the self-driving cars driven autonomously according to the speaker?

• 100,000 miles

• 50,000 miles

• 140,000 miles

• 200,000 miles

What is one of the main causes of traffic accidents that self-driving cars aim to eliminate?

• Human error

• Mechanical failure

• Weather conditions

• Animal crossings

What potential benefit does the speaker highlight regarding highway capacity with self-driving cars?

• It could become irrelevant

• It could increase by two or three times

• It could decrease by half

• It could remain the same