Google states that Arizona’s dry, hot, desert climate would be perfect as a testing ground for its autonomous vehicles.
image courtesy: Reuters
image courtesy: AP Photo / Tony Avelar
Anybody living in this area and possessing a bachelor’s degree, a clean criminal record and ability to type 40 words per minute is eligible to apply for the job of a tester, or as Google terms it, “vehicle safety specialists”. Fancy. The job requires you to sit behind the wheel to make sure everything is a-okay. In case something does go wrong, the tester should be able to take over.
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Brian Torcellini, Google’s head of operations for the self-driving-car testing program says in an interview with The Arizona Republic,
“The role of test driver is so new that there isn’t a particular type of person that we look for. We’ve hired people from all types of backgrounds, from English teachers to orbital welders.”
Those who do get selected will be on contract for 12-24 months, driving cars for six to eight hours a day for $20/hour. In addition to making sure the cars don’t terrorize Arizona’s roads, drivers will need to provide short oral and written feedback to the engineering team at the end of each session.
image courtesy: Carrie Campbell / Washington Post
Digital Trends reports that testers will supervise the cars in pairs. One specialist will get the wheel to take over if and when it is necessary, while the “passenger” specialist will submit live reports as the testing is tracked. Google requires human drivers in order to know how its cars handle various types of traffic.