Different Google Technology
The Self-Driving Automobile technology
Self-driving automobile technology is a service that employs several high technologies such as radars, navigation systems, networks, radio antennas, and even cameras. By using the devices, the technology can deliver a car that does not depend on drivers. Also known as autonomous cars, they have a map of the areas that surround them as fed into them by the radar sensor monitor that helps in positioning the cars that are nearby and the locations they are in (“Self-Driving Car Technology: How Do Self-Driving Cars Work? | Landmark Dividend – Landmark Dividend LLC,” 2018). The cameras fitted in the cars help detect the traffic lights, read the road signs, track the other cars, and look out for pedestrians. The cars have been designed to ensure better traffic flow and control the movement on the roads.
The development of cars has been impacted and reduced by integrating into the common roads where the normal drivers dwell. Others have claimed the cost of implementing the technology is high and not affordable, and it has made most people opt for normal human-driven cars. Google, they have embarked on creating and developing cars and technology to ensure they produce a quality product that will appeal to the market and seamlessly work with human-driven cars and replace them in time. The idea by googles o research the application of the technology is the high requirements in terms of the network (Zhang, Zheng & Tan, 2019). Most areas are yet to achieve the 5G network requirement required to drive the technology, making Google lag behind in the introduction of self-driving cars on a large scale. These challenges have played a huge role in slowing the technology’s production rate, and it has made google look for other ways to put the technology in the market.
Overcoming these challenges and implementing the technology has been the main aim of Google, and they have analyzed different ways to overcome them. The availability of other networks, such as 4G, has been seen as a substitute for the 5g requirement, not available in all areas. The manufacturers’ integration and use of the available network can result in a better-suited technology that will be available for use in all regions. This will drive its application up as many people will opt for it due to the economics of use, such as the lesser management costs and the safety features installed in them (Zhang, Zheng & Tan, 2019). For instance, the network-controlled traffic will be orderly, and there will be no need for the traffic police as the cars will be using preset instructions, and they will not have the human nature of breaking the traffic rules.
The development and implementation of the technology will have different impacts on the environment. As the cars will be using technology, there will be less environmental pollution. This will be a welcome idea as there have been actions and calls for manufacturers to develop a new technology that will reduce, or even eliminate, the different kinds of pollution that come from human-driven cars. The development will also positively impact reducing the errors committed by the human drivers on the roads, leading to accidents. As indicated by Baily (2014, para. 19), huge carnages have resulted in human’s reliance on their reflexes, which may sometimes be too slow to avoid collisions and accidents. The author further claims that more than 90% of the roads’ accidents are a result of human errors, and the introduction of self-driving vehicles will reduce them. Morally, it is imperative to replace human-driven cars with computer-driven ones to pose a better security risk than human-driven cars.
Project Jacquard
Project Jacquard by Google was produced in their Advanced Technology and Projects Laboratory (ATAP Lab). It aims to weaving conductive threads that are touch-responsive threads and textiles made from fabric. The availability of the conductive threads have given rise to the idea to be woven into flexible connections that contain electronic elements in the pieces of fabric or even to add sensitivity to elements are areas that are constantly touched (“Jacquard Fabric Guide: Fabric Overview of Silk Jacquard and Cotton Jacquard,” 2021). This has greatly helped in the recreation of the threads as the existing threads were made of steel fibers that were braided, and it made them stiffer when compared to the normal threads, and this made them not suitable for use by the sewing machines. The use of the braided steel fibers was on the hand-crafted products, an aspect which Google has considered and decided to create a variety that can be used and be braided by machines.
In the development of the project, Jacquard makes use of metal alloys and the fibers, natural and even synthetic, that are present in the threads. The engineering of the threads and alloys makes them look the same, be flexible the same way, have the same touch, feel, and also color as the other threads, making them easy to blend into the fabric designs that are already in existence (“Jacquard Fabric Guide: Fabric Overview of Silk Jacquard and Cotton Jacquard,” 2021). The developments have made the threads work seamlessly and perfectly with the available sewing machines.
The development of the technology, despite it being seen as a breakthrough in integrating the threads and the fibers, has been faced by many challenges that need to be overcome before Google can roll it out on a large scale. The biggest challenge is the acceptance into use by people around the globe (“Google’s Project Jacquard brings touch to textiles | Postscapes,” 2021). This challenge has been seen as the users question the credibility and safety of the development. Questions on the safety of the development and also the applicability of the technology on a large scale has dealt the project a huge blow, and it has stalled its adoption on a large scale. People also question the security of their daily life when exposed to technology. Most of them feel that there will be a way to monitor their daily life and also to access their data.
Overcoming the challenges posed by the people’s question on the safety and credibility of the creation is paramount to the developers as they need a positive reception of the development. This will help in ensuring the masses welcome the products that are developed by the company. There is a need to explain and show the people the advantages and the uses of the development in the normal environment (“Google’s Project Jacquard brings touch to textiles | Postscapes,” 2021). The fear of privacy infringement by the people using the technology is well based, and the company needs to explain to the buyers the advantages of the new technology and also the uses they have. It will help clear their doubts and also increase their dependence on it.
The impact it will have on the environment is that it will make the daily life of humans more exciting and easier. This will help in reducing the energy expended on some tasks and saving it for more consuming and tiring ones. The use of technology will also help in overcoming some of the obstacles that humans face in their daily life and actions.
Project Soli
Developed in the Advanced Technology and Projects Lab (ATAP) of Google, the technology has been created in a way that it can be embedded in items that can be worn by the users on phones, cars, computers, and other devices. The working of the chip is dedicated to radar and is designed to collect raw data that is produced by the gestures made by the hand as well as interpreting them correctly and making the needed commands. The chip produces electromagnetic waves that are broadcast as a broad beam, and then they are reflected back to the antenna once there is an interaction between the human hand and the waves. The controls of the technology are all done virtually, and sensors have the ability to generate feedback from the haptic sensation that is seen when there is contact between fingers (Dhapola, 2019). The use of the technology has been seen to be a breakthrough as it will help in reducing and forecasting the gestures that an individual makes and making the decisions for them without them making them. This simplification of the tasks by the technology will make the life of the individuals simpler, and they will be able to accomplish more tasks in their daily life as compared to when they have to carry out all the gestures with their fingers. Soli, like a sensor produced by google, creates a hemisphere that is interactive and understands and stores the movements that happen around the phone (Tung, 2019). The power of the technology will be its ability to carry out tasks without touching the phone, such as snoozing an alarm, answering calls, just by simply having the motion sense powered.
The challenges in the implementation of the technology will be its applicability in daily life. There are many motions that happen around the phone, and its ability to determine the kind of reaction that a user needs will determine its success in the market. Most individuals use their phones for their daily life and dependence. Making the sensor chip can be a welcome idea if it will make it simpler to use and run their daily life, but there is a need to ensure there is a distinction between the different motions and gestures that are done on a daily basis on the phones (Dhapola, 2019). The developers need to have a wide catalog of gestures and their meaning to the users. Having a wide collection and understanding of the different meanings of the gestures will help in making the service more welcome by the users.
Implementing the technology will help in easing the life of mobile users and the energy they use in making the gestures. The chip will greatly assist in making the decisions and motions that are supposed to be carried out by humans. For the users, they will have an easy time enjoying the development and also the easy way of life where their desired motions will be carried out on their behalf (Tung, 2019). The negative impact that the development will have is that it will make the users over-reliant on it. Carrying out the tasks on their behalf will make the individuals get used to having their way of life made easy.
Project Loon
This is an undertaking by google where they have developed and released stratospheric balloons whose aim is bringing internet connectivity to communities and areas that are considered rural and interior around the world. By having balloons that are floating in the sky, there can be a wide range of internet connectivity and networking, even in areas that were previously left out in the development and connection to the internet. The balloons move around the world, and they bring connectivity to a new level, with most of them having 5G connections and networks (Foust, 2021). The use of audacious technology to have the network delivered from floating objects has been seen as a way to overcome the terrain challenge and also those that come with natural calamities. The development of Project Loon has been hailed as a breakthrough in ensuring constant and high-quality connectivity even in areas that had previously been marked out due to various reasons.
The project, despite it being revolutionary, has been faced with several challenges, the main being the cost of launching the balloons. Despite the fact that the company has developed the balloons, there are people challenging their release into the environment as some fear that the technology will be spying and collecting their personal data. The fear about the privacy of the users and their data has dealt the project a huge blow as it has not been able to achieve its target users.
Overcoming the challenges will need the owners and the people in control of the project to educate their users on the advantages of using the technology and how it will revolutionize communication while strengthening the network they use (Harding, 2021). This will help in creating and restoring the trust that the users had in the project and the technology before it was launched. These challenges have been created by the fear of privacy breaches, and addressing them will go a long way in ensuring the success and usage of the target population.
Developing the project was a noble idea that was aimed at ensuring there is connectivity in all areas around the world. This makes the development and achievement as it helps in bringing the people around the world together and offers connection to the internet and network in areas that previously were left out and had no way of connecting to the internet (Harding, 2021). On the other hand, the project has led to many users fearing the safety of their data, and many are against their introduction. Having balloons that are floating in the stratosphere has made the users feel insecure about the data storage and access to their private information.
Project Wing
Project wing by Google is a tested technology where the customers of the wing make their quick food orders, and they have them delivered by drone. The ordering process is done from the location of the customers through a mobile phone, and the deliveries are done in a matter of minutes by the use of customized drones. Google has been testing this technology for some time, and it was first envisioned to be delivering medical supplies to people with difficulties (Murison, 2021). It was also seen as a way of delivering items during disasters. Its success in the delivery procedures and also the running has shown that they can be used in different situations and help in alleviating the suffering and also reduce the time taken to wait for the deliveries. For patients suffering from life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks, they can have the defibrillators delivered to them in a matter of minutes, and this service can help in reducing the rate of deaths from the conditions.
Implementation of the technology has been dealt with challenges such as the risk of security as there are many people who will run similar drones whose purpose will be collecting data to plan for attacks and crimes in the areas. Getting the licensing to fly the drones to deliver the products and having a way to regulate and control the drones flying in the atmosphere is a challenge that is yet to be overcome by the producers (Heath, 2021). For a successful implementation, the company needs to come up with a way to ensure their drones are manned, and they are yet to provide a platform where they will ensure all their drones are accounted for, and there are no ill-intentioned masquerading as part of the delivery drones while in reality, they are collecting data and manning the areas.
Overcoming the challenges will be a stepping stone to the success of the project. For the smooth running of the project, the company will need to have a way through which people can easily identify the delivery drones and differentiate them from the other drones that may be flown by people with ill intentions. This way, the people will easily spot and report any other drones that may be having other intentions in the area. It will also increase the faith and trust of the people in the areas of technology, and this will give it a boost in the market (Heath, 2021). Also, educating the people on the use of the technology and its advantages will help the users in appreciating and using the services of the drone deliveries for their daily needs, instead of opting for the time-consuming human deliveries.
The technology has had varying impacts on the users and their overview of its use. The impacts are both positive and negative. On the positive edge, the users are happy and content with the speed at which their deliveries are made, and they are comfortable with the way of ordering on their phones. The customers further feel satisfied with the way their orders are handled. They further feel secure and at ease as there are no delivery people coming to their doors. The negative feelings from the users arise from the feeling of having drones flying over their homes. Some feel that there will be people with ill intentions who will take the opportunity to run illegal drones that will be used in data collection and planning of crimes and attacks (Muoio, 2016). The other negative impact is the noise pollution from the flying drones as the rush to deliver the orders. Having many of them buzzing in the atmosphere will have a huge impact on the environment.
References
Bailey, R. (2021). The Moral Case for Self-Driving Cars – Reason.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://reason.com/2014/07/28/the-moral-case-for-self-drivin/?print=
Dhapola, S. (2019). Explained: Why Project Soli is keeping Google Pixel 4 out of India. Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/project-soli-keeping-google-pixel-4-out-of-india-6072023/
Foust, J. (2021). Google to shut down Loon – SpaceNews. Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://spacenews.com/google-to-shut-down-loon/
Google’s Project Jacquard brings touch to textiles | Postscapes. (2021). Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://www.postscapes.com/googles-project-jacquard-brings-touch-to-textiles/
Harding, N. (2021). What are those odd yellow balls on FlightRadar24?. Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://ukaviation.news/what-are-those-odd-yellow-balls-on-flightradar24/
Heath, N. (2021). Project Wing: A cheat sheet on Alphabet’s drone delivery project. Retrieved 25 February 2021, from https://www.techrepublic.com/ahttps://www.techrepublic.com/article/project-wing-a-cheat-sheet/rticle/project-wing-a-cheat-sheet/
Jacquard Fabric Guide: Fabric Overview of Silk Jacquard and Cotton Jacquard. (2021). Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://tissura.com/articles/jacquard-fabrics
Muoio, D. (2016). Google’s secretive drone delivery project just got cleared for testing — here’s everything we know about the program. Retrieved 25 February 2021, from https://www.businessinsider.com/google-project-wing-drone-service-2016-8?IR=T
Murison, M. (2021). Drone Delivery: Google’s Project Wing Takes Off In Australia. Retrieved 25 February 2021, from https://dronelife.com/2019/04/11/google-wing-drone-delivery-australia/#:~:text=Wing%20customers%20can%20order%20a,technology%20in%20Australia%20since%202014.
Tung, L. (2019). Google’s Soli mini-radar gesture controls for phones and cars just got more accurate | ZDNet. Retrieved 24 February 2021, from https://www.zdnet.com/article/googles-soli-mini-radar-gesture-controls-for-phones-cars-just-got-more-accurate/
Zhang, Y., Zheng, J., & Tan, Y. (2019). From Automobile to Autonomous: Does Self-Driving Improve Traffic Conditions?. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3374040