See How The Google Self Driving Car Sees

The Google self driving car has gotten a lot of media attention the past couple of years and is trending towards someday being a purchasable vehicle. The concept of a self driving car could give a huge added amount of independence to many with disabilities. But did you ever wonder how it works?

Well here is an image and video that gives a glimpse. The spinning cylinder in top of the car is called a light detection and ranging unit (lidar). This device shoots out dozens of lasers that map out what is around the car and gives information to the driving software. For more on the technology and continued development of the Google self driving car read this article by Popular Science.

Here is a presentation that give another in depth description of how the car works.