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TECHNOLOGY A23
Google’s driverless car drivers ride a career less traveled
MICHAEL LIEDTKE
AP Technology Writer
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.
(AP) — After a friend rec-
ommended that he join a
secret Google project six
years ago, Brian Torcellini
suddenly found himself on
the road to an occupa-
tional oxymoron. He be-
came a driver in a driver-
less car.
Torcellini, 31, leads a crew
of test, or “safety,” drivers
who are legally required
to ride in Google’s fleet of
48 robot cars. They only
take control in emergen-
cies. Otherwise, they make
observations that help the
Internet company’s engi-
neers program the cars to
navigate the roads without
human assistance.
“A lot of people go to work
and sit in a cubicle,” Tor-
cellini says. “Our cube just
happens to move around
the roads. And if we are
successful, we are going to
put ourselves out of a job.”
The driverless cars already
have logged more than 2
million miles in six years of
sometimes tedious testing
on private tracks, high-
ways and city streets locat-
ed mostly near Google’s
Mountain View, California,
headquarters.
The vehicles have trav-
eled more than half that
distance in automated
mode, with one test driver
in place to take control
of the car if the technol-
ogy fails or a potentially
dangerous situation arises.
Meanwhile, another driver
sits in the front passenger
seat typing notes about
problems that need to be
fixed and traffic scenarios
that need to be studied.
“I don’t want to compare
myself to an astronaut,
but it kind of feels like that
sometimes,” says Google
test driver Ryan Espinosa
while riding in an auto-
mated Lexus that recently
Friday 2 October 2015

took an Associated Press ing cars and pushes the Stephanie Villegas, 28, was of full-time employees
reporter on a 20-minute button that activates the a swim instructor, knife and contractors, some of
ride around town without vehicle’s robotic controls. sharpener and bond trad- whom are eventually hired
requiring any human inter- “When you go scuba div- er before becoming a test by the company.
vention. ing and take a moment to driver. Other test drivers The drivers who start off as
If the technology advanc- really think about it, you re- are military veterans and contractors begin at $20
es as Google envisions, the alize you are doing some- former photographers. per hour with “many op-
only people sitting in driv- thing that isn’t supposed to They all share at least one portunities” for overtime
erless cars by 2020 will be be humanly possible: you thing in common: spotless when they log more than
passengers looking for an are breathing underwa- driving records. eight hours in a day or 40
easier way to get around. ter,” Torcellini says. “It’s the Before they are entrusted hours in a week, according
Even fewer test drivers will same kind of feeling you with the cars, Google’s to Google’s recent help-
be working because the get in one of these cars. test drivers must complete wanted listings posted on
driverless cars will be com- It’s not supposed to be hu- three-week training cours- Glassdoor.com. The drivers
pletely autonomous, elimi- manly possible.” es. The drivers are taught who become employees
nating the need for the ve- While the engineers who to take control of the robot receive company stock
options in addition to their
In this Monday, Aug. 24, 2015 photo, Brian Torcellini, Google team leader of driving operations, salaries, though Google
won’t disclose how much
right, poses for photos with vehicle safety specialists Rob Miller, top left, and Ryan Espinosa, next they are paid.
Besides having clean driv-
to a vehicle at a Google office in Mountain View, Calif. Associated Press ing records, Google’s test
drivers say the job requires
hicles to be equipped with are programming the ro- car whenever there is any a combination of good
steering wheels or brake bot cars have technical moment of doubt or dan- judgment, patience and
pedals. Everything will be backgrounds, most of the ger. fearlessness. The self-driving
controlled through a com- test drivers don’t. Google employs “dozens” cars were in 16 accidents
bination of sensors, lasers, Torcellini worked in a drug of test drivers but won’t from May 2010 through Au-
software and intricate store warehouse while get- reveal the precise num- gust, but they are becom-
maps — a vision that could ting his degree in political ber. It’s likely around 100 ing more frequent as the
very well leave many of science at San Diego State because California law vehicles spend more time
Google’s test drivers look- University. He dreamed of requires two test drivers on public roads. Half of the
ing for a new line of work. pursuing a career writing per vehicle, and Google’s collisions have happened
The job requires a sense about surfing. He ended fleet currently consists of 25 since February — a stretch
of adventure, something up at Google in 2009 after pod-like cars and 23 Lex- when the self-driving cars
Torcellini acquired when a friend who worked for the uses. were traveling an average
he began to surf in high company suggested he in- A few of those self-driving of about 10,000 miles per
school. His other passions terview for an opening on cars Google also recently week on public streets in
include spear fishing and a then-secret project. began cruising around autonomous mode. There
scuba diving, which he Espinosa, 27, was working Austin, Texas, so a few of have been no major inju-
likens to the sensation he in a bicycle shop before the test drivers are based ries reported so far.
gets when he climbs into he was hired as a test driv- there. The self-driving technology
one of Google’s self-driv- er two-and-half years ago. The crew consists of a mix hasn’t been to blame for
any of the accidents, ac-
cording to Google, though
it says one collision was
caused by an employee
who was steering a robot
car while running a person-
al errand. In all but three
of the accidents, Google’s
self-driving cars have been
rear-ended, a trend that
the company believes
has to do with the large
number of motorists who
are texting, talking on the
phone or otherwise doing
something besides paying
attention to the roads and
their surroundings.q