Google Unveils Its Own Self-Driving Car

Google Inc. plans to build a fleet of about 200 self-driving cars designed with an on/off button but no other controls, BBC News reports.

Google says the electric two-seaters will begin road tests within the year.

The bulbous cars initially will be designed to travel no faster than 25 mph. They will feature a nonthreatening "friendly" face and be equipped with a soft plastic nose and flexible plastic windshield designed to minimize injury in a collision with a pedestrian.

Chris Urmson, who heads Google's autonomous car program, tells BBC the initial test cars will be fitted with plug-in steering, brake and acceleration controls. But he predicts the equipment will be eliminated as consumer acceptance and confidence in self-driving technology grows.

Last month Google said its autonomous car project is shifting focus from tests on highways to more complex work on city streets. Like Google's other retrofitted self-driving cars, the new shuttles will use onboard laser sensors, cameras and radar to determine their surroundings and how to react to them.