Google's self-driving pod cars hitting the road

Google shifts into the next gear of its self driving car project. I'm Bridget Carey this is your CNet Update. [MUSIC] Google's fleet of fully self driving pod robot cars are hitting the roads this summer. Google's taking the program to next level of testing. [NOISE] When we talk about self driving cars, there are really two categories. Ones that take on the design and mechanics of a typical car you're familiar with, like this Lexus SUV. A driver can flip a switch to take their hands off the wheel, foot Foot off the pedal and give the car control. Google has been testing a fleet of these SUVs on city streets, but now it wants to test a fully self-driving car with no wheel or pedals. Google built 25 of these prototype pods from scratch. These will ride on city streets in California this summer, racking up about 10,000 miles of experience every week. And, if a human needs to takeover, the drivers can attach a wheel and pedal. We may hear more about the progress of these pod cars at the annual Google developer's conference coming up on May 28th. The conference, known as Google I/O, is where Google introduces new software for Android, Chrome And executives also show off new products. Remember this is where Google Glass made it's debut. And although we may not have skydivers this time there could be hints to the next phase of glass. But then again Google may spend more time talking about smart watches. A week after Google's event comes Apple's conference to showcase new software updates. Last June, Apple unveiled something called HomeKit. On the iPhone and iPad, it serves as a central hub to control smart Internet connected devices around your home. That means you can even control something with voice using Siri. Apple says the first gadgets that can work HomeKit will come out next month, but another company wants to take smart home controls away from your phone. The tech Startup Senic created the Nuimo. It's a disk-shaped controller that rotates to control different Bluetooth devices, such as your smart lights, your music players, or thermostat. Think of it as a universal remote, but for smart home gadgets. The company is asking for funding on Kickstarter, with plans to release in October. There are so many smart home gadgets these days. Lights, ovens, coffee makers, air conditioners, but we don't have smart trash cans yet. The GeniCan project on Indiegogo is trying to change that. You attach a bar code reader to the side of your waste bin and scan the bar code of items as you throw them away. So it automatically adds that item to your shopping list. If you think that idea is rubbish, don't forget Amazon's tinkering with something similar. The Amazon Echo Smart Speaker lets you create a shopping list with your voice commands. I remember those dash buttons for instant re-ordering. Makes the Genie Cam look downright genius. That's your check news update. You can head over to cnet.com for more. From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey.