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Inside Google's self-driving car (pictures)

Google's still not letting people take photos of its self-driving cars on the road from the inside, but here's a look at what you can expect if you get to sit inside one.

Seth Rosenblatt
Senior writer Seth Rosenblatt covered Google and security for CNET News, with occasional forays into tech and pop culture. Formerly a CNET Reviews senior editor for software, he has written about nearly every category of software and app available.
Seth Rosenblatt
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Google's self-driving car

Google's self-driving car is capped by a $70,000 Lidar system that's more expensive than the car itself.

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Smile for the grille

The Lidar is supported by an array of cameras and sensors, including this one mounted in the grille.

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Behind the wheel

Inside the car, it doesn't look like much has changed, except for the big red emergency kill switch.

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Wired in and ready to roll

Google programs destinations and monitors the car's progress with a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop wired directly to the car's sensors.

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Lexus SUV hybrid

One of the reasons that Google chose the Lexus RX450h was for its built-in ports.

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Cameras galore

Another camera faces front, mounted just behind the rear-view mirror.

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The laser-powered Lidar system

The roof-mounted Lidar system spits out 64 lasers that survey the world 10 times a second to keep track of objects both stationary and mobile.

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Self-driving car team

Members of Google's self-driving car team, left to right: Chris Urmson, project lead; Brian Torcellini, driving program manager; Dmitri Dolgov, software lead; Andrew Chatham, mapping lead; Ron Medford, project safety director.

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