Google Waymo patents the technology for self-driving cars

Google Waymo has patented a unique technology that will have a huge impact on the self-driving cars. It has patented the technology which will make its self-driving cars soft on the outside when it comes across a situation where there is a possibility of an accident with a human. Waymo, which is an autonomous car development company had spun out of Google’s parent company Alphabet, and recently patented a car design in which the vehicle is held together internally with a number of tension members. These members are cables, springs or rods and they would slacken or tighten to adjust to the car’s external rigidity.

If the sensors of the self-driven car detect that the vehicle is about to come into contact with another object, the sensors would change accordingly. The technology works in two aspects, if there is another car, it will keep the outside stiff and if it is a human, it will loosen up as appropriate. This ensures that there is a lighter impact for those individuals hit by a car.

It works like a metal bean bag which crumples in order to accommodate a new and unexpected passenger. With the growing innovation across self-driving cars, companies are working on the security and safety aspect of the same. Self-driving cars constantly communicate with each other in order to prevent crashes, but this is the first time when a manufacturer has come out with a solution to save the pedestrians from the chances of an accident.

In a recent case, Uber and Alphabet were against one another over the latter’s accusation on Uber for stealing its self-driving technology. The legal tussle between the two escalated last month when the court allowed Uber to seek deposition of the CEO of Alphabet for up to four hours. Uber was also allowed to seek deposition of the Chief Legal Officer and Senior VP of Alphabet. Uber is being sued for the alleged patent infringement and the stealing of trade secrets by Waymo on the self-driving project. Waymo alleged that the stolen information became the basis for Uber’s self-driven cars.

By patenting the technology, Waymo goes a step ahead in ensuring the safety of the pedestrians and building a self-driven car that does not harm the public. With this technology, the company has gained a competitive edge over other self-driven cars and ensured that they rank higher in terms of security.