Waymo Tests Hardware to Ease Passenger Fears of Driverless Cars

For years the Google coders and roboticists working on driverless cars have focused on making sure their creations could drive safely around California roads. Now, comes the next big test: getting regular civilians comfortable passing the wheel to a machine.

This month, Waymo, the mobility division created by Google parent Alphabet Inc., is starting a free, experimental service that will ferry people around Phoenix, Arizona. In preparation, Waymo has added a new suite of hardware and interior designs to its cars, revealed here for the first time, that will help the vehicles see their surroundings better and transmit that information to their occupants. The project's technology chief Dmitri Dolgov says the upgrades will ease passengers' concerns.

This is no small matter. While driverless cars have demonstrated a remarkable ability to navigate a complex world, every hiccup makes news. Google vehicles have been involved in several fender benders, and a Tesla Model S operating in Autopilot mode crashed into a semi-trailer, killing the owner.