Blind man Drives Google's Self-Driving Car [VIDEO]

Google has uploaded a video showcasing its self-drive car by helping a legally blind man go out for lunch and drive around his town.

The highly modified Toyota Prius uses a complex array of radars and laser sensors to work out where it is in comparison to the environment and other road users.

The blind man, Steve Mahan, said, the car drove him to buy lunch: "95 percent of my vision is gone. I'm well past legally blind. You lose your timing in life. Everything takes you much longer. There are some places that you cannot go. There are some things that you cannot do. Where this would change my life is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things."

Google debuted its self-driving car project back in 2010 as a way of developing a safer, more enjoyable and more efficient mode a transport. After completing more than 200,000 accident-free miles, Google wanted to share the car with what it hopes to soon be a real user.

Although the video shows the car performing perfectly, Google admits that the route taken was carefully programmed and, as can be seen, the location chosen is free of heavy traffic.

The internet giant said: "We organised this test as a technical experiment, but we think it's also a promising look at what autonomous technology may one day deliver if rigorous technology and safety standards can be met."

While appearing to work seamlessly, the technology behind Google's driverless car is still a long way from being commercially available. The car uses data from Google Street View which it pairs with footage from onboard cameras, a series of radars and lasers around the car and a sensor on one rear wheel to accurately judge the cars location.