Google driverless car

Google's project to build a self-driving car has gone a long way toward introducing the concept to the masses. Advances in computing are one of the main forces pushing robotics ahead -- as exemplified by Google's self-driving car.

As the car drives down the road, sensing systems collect information and can send it back to data centers for analysis. The company first disclosed work on robotic cars in 2010 and recently chauffeured a blind man to the shopping center in one such car to demonstrate the potential.